Hitman: Merces Letifer
by AFishCalledMonty
Summary: Morgan lives an ordinary life in London, until one day the mysterious Tobias Rieper appears in her work. Suddenly, she is dragged into a world that she never knew existed and does things she never thought she would. Set after Hitman 2016 game.
1. Chapter 1

**A/U: This is my attempt at a Hitman fanfic, I have rated it T but there is some language occasionally and some violence now and again. Nature of the beast I'm afraid, enjoy and please review. :)**

Part 1 – London

Chapter 1

My life used to be what anyone would call 'normal', I had a job, I rented a flat in central London (just about), and went out with my friends at the weekend. It was routine, hum-drum…bland. Of course I didn't know I was bored until everything changed.

This day started as usual at 6am, obviously no one knows the significance of a day until their whole life pivots on it. To be honest it would be a good few months after this point that I would really understand how much of an atom bomb had been dropped on my life.

I dragged myself out of bed after the third shrill, demanding call of my alarm. I was an early riser normally but it had been my best friend Helen's birthday last night, and being the social butterfly she was, she had dragged my grumpy butt into town with a few artfully executed guilt trips. I was now feeling the consequences of the night and internally scolding my past self.

Clutching my aching head I trudged zombie style into my tiny bathroom. My flat was so small I could see the entirety of it from my double bed, which was actually the largest piece of furniture I owned. I had been determined I was getting it in; everyone needs a double bed in their lives. It was shoved against one wall under the only window in my humble abode, the living/dining/kitchen/everything was the other side of my studio flat. I had cleverly made a screen with a bit of washing line strung the width of my flat with a large curtain hanging from it to separate my sleeping area from my eating area. My miniature bathroom was the only other real room in my flat coming off my bedroom. It had a toilet, a sink and a shower and a small square of floor space in the middle of all these things so I could rotate to get to each thing. It really wasn't much but it was mine for a very high, eye-watering price. This was Shepard's Bush after all.

I splashed my face with cold water and squinted at myself in the mirror above the sink. Yeah, I looked like I had a hangover. Cursing last night I quickly showered and pulled on my jeans and a checked shirt. I grabbed my rucksack with my camera in it and dashed out the door. It was already quarter to 7 and it would take me at least 45 minutes to get to London Bridge where my office was.

It was a bracing November morning, I took the steps down to the ground floor two at a time and burst out into the busy street. I was suddenly in a sea of bobble hats and scarves and I groaned out loud when I realised I had neither. Pushing forward I melted into the mass of people all moving towards the tube station.

I always felt trapped on the trains underground, there were two many people with only one exit. Holding onto the bar above to keep me stable I glanced around the cramped carriage. One of my weird joys was people watching, and to keep my brain occupied on the horrid commute I would often try to work out where everyone was going and what they did as a job. A well-dressed man opposite me swayed uneasily as the train rounded a corner. He looked unsure of himself, he wasn't used to the tube. A travelling businessman, I assessed, on the Jubliee line so likely heading to Canary Wharf to have an interview. His suit looked new and little too big for him, he noticed me looking and self-consciously straightened his tie. I smiled and lowered my gaze, hoping his interview goes well.

My job wasn't bad, from the perspective of a casual outsider it was quite an interesting job really. I worked for a newspaper as a photographer. None of your paparazzi nonsense I took stock shots, life photos and sometimes did portraits for the journalists for their columns. I got to see all walks of life in the role and was always the first out of my friends to know the latest news.

Of course with the reputation newspapers have nowadays there were some sucky things. My boss for instance, the Chief editor of the paper Dom Johnson, he was what the public saw as a stereotypical journalist; pushy, blunt and only interested if it sold papers. He was the sort of person who would happily stab you in the back and step over your corpse if it furthered his career. I really didn't trust the guy, which is unfortunate when they are the person in charge of whether you keep your job.

As I was a relatively low-level photographer, just starting out, I had a fairly regular routine. I went in to the office and waited for any of the news stories of the day. Obviously all of the big jobs like celebrities and big political scandals went to the high profile freelancers, but there was usually some stock photos we didn't have or Press Association couldn't provide for us that I would be sent out to get. I preferred being out of the office, putting that many egotistical people in a small open plan place could create a nasty atmosphere. Once I had my photos I would come back to the office and process my day's work, sending it on to whoever had requested it. Fun.

The train finally screeched into London Bridge station, I squeezed between the many bodies blocking my exit and nearly fell on to the platform as my human wall gave way. Gathering myself after the usually traumatic experience of travelling to work, I walked briskly towards the exit. The air was frigid cold, and my breath billowed in front of my face as I negotiated the street. The tall concrete building that housed my office loomed over me. It was half 7, I had just about made it.

I sighed in relief as I entered the familiar reception area of the building. Frank the security guard looked up from his paper; ironically not ours.

"Alright darling? You look rough this morning." His rough cockney accent made me grin.

"Thank you very much you cheeky man, you don't look so hot yourself."

Frank laughed heartily as I swiped my security card and pushed through the turnstile. The heated lift was empty and I welcomed the moment of quiet as it whisked me up to my floor. The tranquility was shattered when the doors slide open letting the chaos and noise of the newsroom wash over me. It was an open plan office setting; journalists talked excitedly to each other, phones were ringing insistently and people walked with a purpose in every direction.

I made my way cautiously into the foray holding a hand to my aching head. Walking the perimeter of the office I made a bee line for my desk, it was in a relatively quiet corner of the office thankfully. I dumped my rucksack next to my chair and started up the PC. Andy, the junior researcher who sat opposite me, looked over the divider between our two desks.

"You ok? Look like you've been run over."

I gave him an icy stare still holding my throbbing head.

"That's the second comment I've had today about my appearance. Is it that obvious?"

Andy snorted. "Yeah, you look horrendous. Heavy night last night?"

I nodded and instantly regretted it. My brain felt like it was rattling around my skull.

"Helen's 29th wasn't it. She made me." He rolled his eyes at me, he was attractive in a young, boyish way. He had a cheeky smile and was always quick to make me laugh. I had instantly liked him when he had been placed opposite me, he was definitely an improvement from the last researcher they had put there. He had been a leery, middle aged man with a nasty case of the wandering eye. Andy had become my firm friend and ally in this crazy place, and was always the person I went to for a chat.

"Oh yeah, the big 2-9. No wonder you look like a half deflated balloon."

I slowly raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned back at me.

"I need a coffee, didn't have time for one this morning. You want anything?"

"A tea please." Andy smirked as I sighed and walked towards the kitchen. "Two sugars!" He shouted after me.

"Yeah, yeah, I got your two sugars." I heard his guffaw from across the office. A few people looked over at us, I ignored them. There weren't many people I got on with in this place, Andy was one and Mark the IT guy was the other. He was a quiet but sincere man who was always under appreciated, as IT support usually are. I could usually find him in the kitchen by the coffee machine, he lived off the stuff, and that's where I expected to see him today.

I rounded the corner separating the kitchen from office, there were a few journos in there but no Mark. I frowned but went about my coffee-making task anyway. I had just finished when an older man walked into the kitchen. He was one of the more senior journalists, he had a regular column talking about politics. He noticed me and made his way over, I watched him my expression careful, you never knew if he would try and trip you up with a conversation so I was cautious whenever he tried to talk to me.

"Morning Morgan." He said amiably. Something was up.

"Morning George." He paused a few feet from me and looked around trying to decide who was listening. Something was definitely up.

"Have you heard about Mark?" My stomach dropped, oh no, what had happened.

"No, I noticed he wasn't in his usual caffeine refueling spot. Is he ill?" I asked hopefully.

George smiled a knowing smile, god I hated these guys. "No, he's left." I must have looked taken aback as a triumphant look crossed George's face. _Yeah, yeah you know more than me I get it,_ I thought bitterly.

"Apparently some unknown relative went and died leaving him a fortune. He quit yesterday evening."

I froze, all of that smelt of fish and I didn't like it one bit. I suspected our illustrious leader Dom Johnson had something to do with it.

"Wow, that's lucky." I said carefully, trying to pry more information out of George.

"Lucky? Or weird?" He shrugged, obviously satisfied with the bomb shell he had dropped on me. "Anyway there's a new guy already. Bit quick if you ask me, but I guess these agencies are ready with replacements."

A new guy? Already? Yeah, there was definitely something off here.

"He's in with Dom at the moment, getting the low down. Anyway, have a good one" I watched as George looked around clearly bored now he had done what he came to do, he spotted some more journos in the corner and sidled off to tell them.

I stood there with my coffee and tea for what seemed like an age. What the hell was going on? Who had wanted Mark gone and why? It didn't make any sense, but I was about to find out. I wanted to make sure Mark was okay first. I handed Andy his tea absent mindedly as I sat back down at my desk. He looked at me worriedly.

"You alright Morgs? Now you look like you've seen a ghost." I nodded without looking at him properly.

"I'm fine, tell you in a sec." My PC had warmed up now and I fired up my encrypted messenger app. Mark had loaded it on my PC when we became friends, trust no one that was my motto, I didn't want the company keeping tabs on my personal messages. Mark was online, I opened a chat window and checked no one important was watching me.

 _Morg: Hey, what's going on? Why are you not here?_

 _Mark89: Sorry I didn't tell you Morgan, it all happened very suddenly._

 _Morg: No one threatened you? You really did leave because you wanted to?_

 _Mark89: Yes and no, I was paid a lot of money to leave…and not say anything. In fact I probably shouldn't be telling you._

 _Morg: I won't tell, it's okay. As long you are okay Mark that's all that matters._

 _Mark89: …I'm fine, honest Morg. We can meet up tomorrow night if you want. I am leaving the country after that. World trip and all._

 _Morg: Okay Mark, stay safe._

I stopped typing; something was going on. I shut the app down and looked at Andy.

"Mark's gone." I whispered, Andy's eyes widen. _What_ he mouthed.

It was at that point that I heard Dom's foghorn voice call me from across the newsroom.

"Morgan!"

I turned to look at him, he was standing outside his office with the new 'Mark'. Dom saw me staring at him, he beckoned impatiently with his hand.

"Come here, I need you." I swiveled my seat back to Andy and rolled my eyes. He grinned and nodded towards the boss.

"Go on, he's calling."

I breathed out slowly and reluctantly made my way over to Dom Johnson. He was a short man with a large mid-drift, that was probably why he was such an arse. He wore a white shirt with its sleeves rolled up and his blue tie was loosened at the collar. In contrast the man next to him towered over my squat boss, he looked lean and muscular under his light blue shirt. He was bald and had a stern face; it looked like he didn't smile much. His eyes were a really intense blue and they locked onto me as I approached.

"Morgan, I guess you've heard by now, because nothing remains a secret in this place for long, that Mark has left us." His smile reminded me of a crocodile, I stifled the shiver running through me. He had something to do with this I knew it, whether directly or indirectly I could feel it in my bones that Dom was the reason Mark wasn't here.

"Yes Mr Johnson," I answered evenly, not giving anything away. My eyes flicked back to the man stood next to him, he was still watching me standing unnaturally still.

"Well, luckily the agency had a replacement already lined up." Dom gestured at the man, "This is him. Now, I am very busy and I understand you and the previous IT guy were friends, so give our new recruit a tour round our cosy little office will you. Show him the ropes." He slapped my arm jovially, I resisted the strong urge to pull my arm away like it had been burned.

"Yes, Mr Johnson." I said through gritted teeth as he turned away and waddled back into his office. I glared at his retreating back. I caught the new guy watching me, there was a slight hint of amusement on his previously impassive face. I arranged my features to appear neutral again, I didn't know this guy he might rat on me.

"So, you're the new Mark. Hope you're good with computers cause none of these idiots are." I gestured at the oblivious journalists. His gaze followed my hand, and he scanned the office. Scanning was the best word; it was like he was taking in every little detail of the room.

I cleared my throat to get his attention back to me, his eyes came back to rest on my face. I swallowed a little nervously, it felt like he was scanning me now. After what felt like an age of awkward silence I spoke again, "So…you have a name?"

The new guy waited a moment as if assessing his response. Eventually his face softened a little and I got the feeling that it was like he was putting on a mask. Before I could think too much about it though he spoke in a deep, quiet voice.

"My name is Tobias Rieper."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I blinked at the man a few times. "Tobias…that's an interesting name."

A small smile slowly formed on his face. "So is Morgan." I narrowed my eyes at him, the quick retort took me by surprise. I resolved to find out exactly what had happened to my friend and this guy was definitely part of the puzzle. Maybe hanging around all these journalists was starting to rub off on me.

"Welcome to the mad house." I said turning to look at the office. "Rule one, don't trust anyone here, especially the person you were just talking to." I looked up at Tobias, he stared blankly back at me.

"What agency are you from?" A flash of surprise crossed his features, it happened so quickly I wasn't even sure I had seen it.

"Techsupport Limited, you won't have heard of them. They're new." I frowned, suspicion rising in me.

"You didn't know Mark did you?" Tobias shook his head. "Hmmm…ok. This way."

I walked off towards Mark's old desk; my head gave an irritating throb reminding me that I wasn't at my best today. The new guy followed behind me, even with all the noise of the office I noticed how quietly he walked. We reached the neatly arranged desk of his predecessor. A lump of sadness settled in my stomach, after all the excitement this morning it had only just dawned on me my friend had left.

Tobias watched me with mild curiosity as I tried to collect my thoughts. "So this is your desk. Mark's stuff is still here as he left in such a rush, so feel free to dump it somewhere." He smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. There was definitely something off with this guy.

"Thank you Morgan." I couldn't place this guy's accent, it wasn't British but it didn't sound American either. It sounded like a little bit of everything.

"You're welcome, I'll be over there if you need me unless they send me out on a job, in which case I'll see you later."

"What is it you do exactly?" Tobias' gaze had intensified, he was scanning me again, fishing for information. I didn't see any harm in telling, it was an innocent enough question to ask.

"I'm a photographer." He raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"You don't look like paparazzi."

My expression darkened, "I'm not. I just do stock shots and profiles mainly. If you need anything I'm over there." I repeated, completely done with this conversation.

Before he could reply I spun on my heel and headed to the other side of the office. Andy stared at me expectantly as I marched over.

"Well?" He asked, craning his neck to look behind me at Tobias.

"Well what? He's an agency worker, doesn't say much." Andy snorted.

"Typical computer type then."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, smacking him on the arm playfully. "You know that statement covers me too."

"Yeah, but you still interact with people like a human even though you can hack for Britain." I rolled my eyes and sat back at my desk.

"He's still staring at you Morgs." Andy was looking at me suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. I looked out the corner of my eye, he was right Tobias was still standing by my desk looking at me. He looked like he was deep in thought. Suddenly he turned his gaze away, like he knew I was watching him too. I sighed and turned back to my PC.

I opened up my Internet browser and typed in 'Techsupport Limited' into the search bar. Clicking on the top result a bland, business-like agency page opened. It looked legit, but the situation still didn't sit right with me. I opened up a URL lookup page and typed in their address. The details of the site pinged up and I had to do a double take. The address had been registered just one week ago. Bingo! I knew there was something up here.

Before anyone could see what I was up to I closed my browser and kicked Andy under the desk. His head snapped up, an annoyed look on his face.

 _What,_ he mouthed.

 _Go to the dark room,_ I mouthed back. I widened my eyes to highlight the urgency of the situation, and like the good journo he was he twigged and walked away from his desk. With a stealthy glance around I made sure no one was watching us, especially Tobias. He was sat at his desk now looking at a laptop someone had brought him. Satisfied he was distracted I walked briskly to our meeting place.

The dark room was the place Andy and I always met if we wanted a private conversation. Hardly anyone used it really, everything was digital now so all it took was a download from an SD card and you were away. I liked this place, I liked the way you saw your hard won photos emerge from the fluid and the skillful precision it took to keep the image from being damaged. Although no one really used prints anymore, I still felt safe here.

Quietly I entered the room, the smell of developing fluid hitting my nose. Gah, it wasn't a good smell for a hangover. Andy was already waiting in the corner, the dim red light highlighting his face in odd ways.

"What is it? What have you found?"

I grinned at him, "The company that sent him, the website for it was only created a week ago." I saw the shock in Andy's eyes even in the near dark.

"Really? What is going on here?"

"I don't know, but it's big. Poor Mark has been bought out and now this guy is here for whatever reason."

He went quiet, thinking for a moment.

"Do you think Dom is in on it?"

I shrugged, "It's hard to tell, but even if he isn't I think he's involved somehow."

He nodded in agreement, "I think we need to keep an eye on this new guy."

"Yeah," I smiled widely at Andy, even with potential danger of the situation I was kind of enjoying it. "The game's a foot Watson."

Andy laughed, "Come on, before people wonder where we are." We both left the dark room, I was deep in thought about everything that had happened so far. I was so deep in thought that I nearly walked into Tobias as I exited the room.

I let out an involuntary noise and glared at his massive frame blocking my way. Andy screeched to halt behind me. Tobias looked at us both, not saying anything. After an awkward pause his mouth twisted into a small smirk.

"Is it a regular occurrence in this office, for people to disappear into dark rooms together?" I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish, my brain trying to formulate a response to combat the conclusion he had clearly come to about Andy and I.

"No…it was a work thing, a meeting." Even I wasn't convinced. He tilted his head to the side and studied me. I wasn't sure if I liked the way he was looking at me.

"I see." His tone was condescending, "I'll leave you to it then." And with a final glance at Andy he turned and walked away. Fighting down my rising chagrin, I frowned as I noticed a tattoo of a barcode on the back of his head.

...

The rest of the morning passed without incident. For all intents and purposes Tobias was good at his job; he had a steady stream of the usual tech illiterate idiots in the office. He played his part well, he was polite and quick in sorting out their problems, but I still wasn't buying it.

There was nothing for me to really do today; I was tasked with sourcing some old shots from our archive and tidying them up. In between photos I kept shooting quick peeks at him from across the room. I don't know what I was expecting to see, but whatever it was I never saw it.

At lunch I got up, pinching the bridge of my nose. Even after I eventually got around to drinking my coffee my headache was still hanging on for grim death.

"Do you want anything from the caf?" Andy looked up from his computer at my question.

"No, I'm fine. Got my salad in the fridge." I made an expression of mock disgust at his boring option.

"Ok, back in 10." He nodded, already focused back on his work. They really did push him too hard here.

I made my way downstairs, giving a friendly wave to Frank on reception as I squeezed through the turnstile. The temperature had risen a bit since this morning, but I still hunched my shoulders against the cold. The café wasn't too far from the office, but I didn't hurry, enjoying the walk. It was about two minutes into my journey that I finally realised I was being followed. I swung round abruptly and glared angrily as Tobias came to a smooth stop in front of me.

"Why are you following me?" He didn't seem phased by edge of venom in my voice. To be honest I don't know why a small, slightly pissed off woman would intimidate this hulk of a man.

"I'm on my lunch." He answered matter-of-factly.

"Ok, well can you 'lunch' somewhere else?" I waved my hands, as if trying to shoo him away.

"Someone said there was a café up here, and I find it odd you would claim to have exclusive access to it." Something about the way he talked both irritated and amused me in equal measures. It was a frustrating place to be with this mysterious stranger.

"Fine, just walk with me then don't stalk behind me like you're about to commit a crime." A smirk appeared on his face again.

"After you then." He gestured with his hands for me to continue walking. I could tell he was mocking me, but I really didn't care by this point. I just wanted a sandwich.

We walked on not talking for a few minutes, his easy stride making me work a little harder to keep pace with him. We were nearly at the café when Tobias broke the silence.

"You know, you really shouldn't make it so obvious when you're spying on someone."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Excuse me?" He looked at me with his impassive stare.

"I was not spying on you." A waver enter my voice, damn my nerves! This was why I wasn't a journalist, among other reasons. He tilted his head down and looked at me over his nose.

"I was not!" Sticking to my guns, I could feel my face flushing. His smirk widened.

"If you insist." He began walking again. I stood in the street a stunned look on my face before jogging to catch up. Damn it, I was going to have to get clever with this guy.

"You're awfully knowledgeable about what constitutes as spying and creeping up on people for an IT guy."

"It's not really knowledge if I'm catching you looking at me every five minutes, and I walk quietly."

I snorted, "Okay then, how long have you been IT support then?"

"A while. How long have you been a photographer?" He was deflecting my question, but I wanted to keep him talking in case he let anything slip.

"About four years now. It's okay, pays the bills." He gave me a sideways look.

"Not what you wanted to do?"

I was slow to respond, I'd only met this man today and I still wasn't sure about him. "No…but does anyone really end up doing what they want? Did you want to be what you are when you were younger?"

He went quiet, I turned to him and saw the mask slip slightly. "I was never given any other options, I knew what I was going to do from a very young age." I frowned, this was an odd answer to my question but the mask was back in place before I could probe further.

"Is this the place?" He nodded towards the café, which had appeared ahead of us, and the conversation was over.

Tobias was a man that talked very little, and when he did it felt like he was forcing it. He was very good at hiding it mind, but my years of watching people had clued me in when someone was pretending to be something they weren't. We made polite talk back to the office, small things, weather, computers, nothing like the odd conversation we had had previously cropped up. It felt like he had sensed my curiosity and the walls had been put up.

As we entered the office the atmosphere changed. There was a hubbub that hadn't been present when I left earlier. People were dashing about more urgently than before. I felt Tobias tense next to me, his expression becoming steely as he took in the scene of barely contained panic. My panic increased when I saw Dom Johnson wheezing his way over to me. Uh oh!

"Morgan, thank fuck. It's all gone a bit Pete Tong here." His use of cockney rhyming slang tipped me off to the shit that was about to hit the fan.

"There's been a major development in the Sadiq Assal case, he's been released and acquitted but I've got no buggering photographers to go to his hotel and get me a picture of him. Carl is ill and Trevor is on watch for Andy Murray in Kent." I stared at Dom in disbelief.

"You want me to go?"

"Course I want you to go, you think I'm telling you all this for fun? You up to it? This is a big deal I want the most recent photo of this scum bag on our paper"

"Oh-ok. Yeah sure." Dom was starting to get agitated, an edge of panic in his eyes.

"Good good, well get a fucking move on. He's staying at the Ritz, Andy has the details. I would say good luck but if you don't get this don't bother coming back."

 _Oh shit._ This day was going to hell in a hand basket fast. I have no idea why, but after Dom puffed his way back to the office I looked at Tobias. He was watching me with his calm, icy blue eyes.

"You'll be fine." His even tone and the casual way he said that simple phrase relaxed me instantly.

"Wish me luck then new guy." I shot at him as I dashed over to Andy to get the info I needed and my camera.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I adjusted my position; it was starting to get a little uncomfortable cooped up in this storeroom. This…this right here was why I wasn't a fan of this job. I hadn't been assigned to many stakeout jobs but when I was I always got the most uncomfortable ones. I had managed to blag my way into a clothes sop opposite the Ritz, having done my research on the way over here I had seen that the shop was due for an inspection. It hadn't taken much persuading to get them to let me in the storage area. People would always believe someone that had the facts and exuded confidence.

That was where I was now, looking out of the first floor window in the storage space above the shop. It had a perfect view of Arlington Street below and the rear entrance of the Ritz hotel. I checked the focus on my 200mm lense and eased the cramp in my hands. It was all a waiting game now.

The case of Sadiq Assal had been a big story in my work for the past few months. He was a multi-millionaire oil tycoon from Dubai that had been accused of assaulting his PA whilst over here. It was a nasty story and with an equally nasty ending now he had been acquitted. Sadiq was a very paranoid man and only his security team and a select few hotel staff knew what his schedule was. The other paparazzi were gathered out the front, as it was the main exit of the hotel, but after hacking into the hotel intranet I had found one careless employee's email trail detailing when Sadiq was planning to leave and where.

I had always been good at computers, it felt like a puzzle being able to get into places that no one else could. I wasn't the best, I couldn't hack into M15 or anything, but basic security systems and firewalls weren't a problem. It had been a wild stab in the dark, not having much time to prepare for this job I had used my laptop with an encrypted dongle to tackle the Ritz' intranet security on the way. It had been one idiotic hotel manager not understanding the concept of secrecy, who had emailed the details of his departure.

He was due to leave at 3pm from the Ritz via the back entrance. It was now 2:55 and I was getting restless. As I was looking through the viewfinder to check my clear shot of the door my mind drifted back to the conversation I had had with Tobias at lunch. What had he meant by no other options for him? That was a pretty weird comment for a guy who just fixed people's computers; it felt like a loaded response, like there was more behind what he was saying.

The back doors opened suddenly, he was early. An entourage of bodyguards and men in business suits streamed out, and wedged in the middle of it all was Sadiq looking smug and confident. My eyes narrowed a little at the sight of this scumbag, I had a strong feeling of wishing it wasn't a camera in my hand right at this moment. I shook the alarming thought from my mind and focused on my target.

...

"Fucking brilliant Morgan. Really fucking fantastic." Dom was giving me a huge, toothy grin as he examined my handy work. "I think maybe we have you doing the wrong work my girl, this is going to make all the other editors sick."

It was a good shot I'll admit, I had caught Sadiq with a particularly nasty smile on his face, surrounded by his army of security. All the other papers would have got, was a shot of his attorney giving a decoy speech out the front of the hotel. They were probably spitting feathers.

"I would ask how you managed it, but really I don't give a fuck." He slapped me on the back and turned away to the reporter writing the piece. I guess that was my cue to go, it was the happiest he had ever been with me, so why did I feel so damn dirty?

I left his office exhausted; I hadn't noticed until I got back how highly strung I'd been. At least I still had a job. Looking up I noticed Tobias watching me from his desk, he had a questioning look on his face. I gave him a friendly smile to signal everything was good, and slunk back to my quiet corner. Andy smiled at me broadly. "Good job Morgs, now they'll take you seriously around here, that was quite a photo."

"Thanks, I had do a bit of illegal stuff to get it but hey this is a tabloid after all." Andy raised his eyebrows at me, "Did you hack them?"

"Yeah, but just their emails." I smiled at him as he shook his head.

"It's been one hell of a day Morgan. I think it's time you went home." I nodded wearily.

"You're right," I said, turning off my PC and picking up my rucksack. "By the way Mark wants us to meet him tomorrow night. I think we should see if there's anything else he can tell us about what's going on. You up for it?"

Andy gave me a half smile, "Us journalists are really rubbing off on you aren't we?"

I raised my eyebrows at him, "Yeah ok." Waving at him I slipped out of the office and got into the lift. As the doors slide shut I noticed the new guy staring at me.

Tobias was waiting for me the next morning in reception. I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

"Morning." He offered me a takeaway coffee he was holding. I took it cautiously still searching his face for this weird welcome. What did he want?

"Morning yourself. What's this all about?" I asked indicating the beverage he had just handed me.

"You looked tired yesterday, thought you'd need this sooner rather than later." He smiled kindly at me, but again it didn't reach his eyes.

"Thank you." He walked beside me as I entered the lift, unperturbed by grumpy mood.

We travelled up in silence until the lift reached our office.

"Everyone is talking about that picture you got yesterday," He turned to look at me, "It is impressive." I could see he was being sincere; the mask was slipping again.

"Thank you, I don't usually do such exciting jobs." He smiled at me.

"Looking at their emails was clever, gave you the upper hand." My face froze.

"Hang on, how did you-" The lift doors opened and without another word he strode off into the office, leaving me behind open mouthed. How had he known that? I had only told Andy what I had done, no one else knew what I could do with computers.

I walked in a daze to my desk, my brain racing over what Tobias had just said to me. My eyes scanned the office looking for him; he had disappeared. I sighed and put down the coffee he had bought me. Andy watched me with a concerned expression.

"You ok?"

"Mmmhmmm, you didn't speak to the new guy about my photo yesterday did you?" He frowned at me.

"Of course not. I don't know the guy." My heart was beating a little too quickly.

"That's what I was afraid of." I sat down at my desk and began working on the archive photos I had started yesterday. I had just got into a rhythm with it when I noticed Andy clearing his throat pointedly at me. A shadow fell on my desk and I spun round in alarm to see Tobias looking down at me.

"Can I speak to you?" His voice was low and calm, but there was an edge of seriousness to it. I had the feeling he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Errr…ok." The nervous waver in my voice betrayed me, and I could see Andy staring at Tobias.

"In private." His eyes flick to Andy and then back to me. I stood up slowly and edged past his impassive body. I don't know why, maybe it was autopilot but I started walking towards the dark room before I could think clearly, Tobias followed quietly behind. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Andy twist in his seat, a look of disbelief on his face as he saw where I was going.

We got to the corridor where the dark room was and I stopped and turned to him.

"Ok, what is it?" He looked at me with his cold blue eyes, not saying anything. Finally he nodded his head towards the dark room, "Shall we?"

I gritted my teeth, this guy was testing my patience. "Fine." I spat out and entered the room.

The low red light made his features seem intimidating. My initial irritation at him changed quickly to uneasiness. He paused for a moment, letting the silence hang between us before he spoke.

"You're good with computers." It was a statement not a question and it took me by surprise.

"I guess you could say that. I know my way around them better than most." I stopped talking and glared at him. "How did you know I got into their emails yesterday?"

His face remained expressionless and his eyes glinted with something that made the blood freeze in my chest.

"I have my…sources." I knew not to pry any further. The sudden fear gave me a spike of adrenaline that pushed me to say what I said next, although looking back I am not sure how I survived it.

"You're not an IT support replacement are you." This time it was me making the statement, and this time it was he who looked surprised. The shock quickly faded and a dark look crossed his face. I instantly regretted my moment of bravery, and I shrank back into the dark room.

There was a heavy silence as I watched Tobias decide what to do next. I don't know how I knew but I was very aware I was in danger somehow. Finally, after what felt like an age his face cleared and he spoke in a calm voice.

"Can you help me or not?" This felt like an olive branch, I had discovered something I shouldn't have done but I could get out of it with my services.

"Depends what you want." My voice shook with adrenaline and fear. He seemed to think about whether to push ahead with this or not, then his mask disappeared completely, and I knew deep in my bones that I was right. He wasn't who he said he was.

A cold, calculating look came onto his face and he closed the distance I had created between us. Every fiber of my being wanted to get away but there was nowhere for me to go.

"I'm undercover, watching your boss actually." Dom? What the hell had he done now?

"So you're a PI, or mole from another paper?" He paused only for a second.

"Yes, a PI."

I relaxed slightly, it wasn't that bad then.

"Ok, and why do you need someone who is good with computers? I thought you had your 'sources'."

His face tensed, his defenses were up. "My informant is currently unavailable and I can't do this job alone."

There were still things he wasn't telling me, but after the recent revelation I wasn't about to push him further.

"So you're spying on my boss, this is kind of risky for me." Dom wasn't my favourite person and I was more than happy to dish any dirt we found on him, but my job still paid the rent.

"Don't worry, no one will know you were involved." I had only known Tobias for a day but I trusted him. He seemed to be a man who said what he meant; I liked that about him.

I let out a long breath that hadn't realised I had been holding in. "What do you need to find out?"

Tobias seemed to visibly relax too; it appeared we had made an unspoken contract. I didn't know what I had signed myself up for until it was too late.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

We had agreed to meet in a neutral zone; he didn't want me knowing where he was staying and thought he was better off not knowing my address. I agreed with him on that one. Andy had looked perplexed when I returned to my desk, I had just shrugged and said it was computer stuff. He didn't press the issue; whatever I was about to do I was pretty sure it was going to break a few laws and I didn't want to drag my friend into it.

Speaking of friends Mark had disappeared off the radar, I had been messaging him all day on my app but he wasn't online or responding. Knowing Tobias was involved I made a mental note to ask him, tactfully, later. He had tasked me with trying to get hold of my boss' personal emails, it was a trivial thing on the face of it. However, attacking the system and disguising my IP wouldn't be that easy in my place of work.

Usually I used a brute force method to hack into systems, it was quick and the easiest way, but it meant leaving myself open for detection. This was a much more delicate job, I wanted to slip in and out without anyone knowing. I had told Tobias as much when he had informed me what he wanted; he had nodded clearly taking in everything I was saying. It was kind of nice to have someone value your knowledge on something, not just glaze over and demand it to be done.

The 'neutral zone' Tobias had suggested was a small restaurant in Shoreditch. I had joked that if I didn't know better I'd think it was some elaborate way to get me to go on a date. He had stared his usual impassive stare, and then casually stated that it would be a good cover story for us meeting. For some reason, I had blushed so hard that I was glad we were in the dark room.

"We'll meet at 7." He had said stiffly before leaving, thus ending our conversation.

I was now finding it really hard to concentrate on what I had been doing before that bizarre encounter had happened. The day crept by slowly, I could feel the nervous tension building in my stomach. Finally, at a quarter to 5 Mark messaged back.

 _Mark89: Hi Morgs, sorry I haven't replied. Can't meet tonight I have left the country. Only just got Internet back. Sorry I couldn't say goodbye, but I thought it best not to risk your safety in this. Just trust me when I say the people responsible for me leaving are dangerous and I can't tell anyone where I have gone or why. Hope you understand, have a good life. M x_

A cold sensation washed through me, what had I got myself into? I started packing away my things when, horror of horrors, I saw Dom making his way over to me. _Not right now you bastard,_ I thought panic starting to grip me. I could see Tobias out of the corner of my eye watching my boss' progress towards me.

Dom had a fake smile plastered on his face; he waddled up to me and gripped my arm in what should have been a friendly way but made me want to punch him full in the face.

"Morgan, I just wanted to say how proud I am of you for yesterday." I could hear the forced praise in his voice, this was unnatural for him. "If it's okay, I'd like to have a little chat with you tomorrow morning." I nodded slowly, his hand was still painfully gripping my arm.

"Sure Mr Johnson." His smile widened into what I could only describe as a grimace, he looked like he was in pain.

"Great, see you tomorrow girl." He released me and waddled back off into the office. Some of the journos were watching me; he could never do anything quietly. I shouldered my rucksack and made a quick exit before anything else could happen today. As I passed him Tobias gave me a small nod, I just stared back. I wasn't sure how this evening was going to go, but I already just wanted to curl up in my tiny apartment and forget the past two days.

...

The restaurant was posh. Well, it wasn't super posh but it was posh by my standards. It was down a narrow side alley off Old Street in Shoreditch, I could hear the busy street but it was slightly muffled by the buildings hemming me in. The restaurant had a modern, minimalist look; the sign just read 'Grass' in gold lettering. I felt massively under dressed, I had switched my jeans and checked shirt for a simple navy blue lace dress. The word dress was very foreign to me, and I still refused to wear heels; I had flats on. Heels could go to hell as far as I was concerned.

I walked up to the large wooden door and opened it reluctantly. The inside was worse than the outside, it was all dark wood and low mood lighting. A man in a very smart suit welcomed me at a podium near the door.

"Good evening madam." He looked me up and down as he spoke; _yeah, yeah, I don't belong here. Get on with it._

"Do you have a…reservation?" He asked me this as if I couldn't possibly have a reservation and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm meeting someone, name of Rieper." He straightened up and looked a little flustered at this point.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry madam. Of course, this way." So Tobias was already here and making an impression obviously. I couldn't help giving a smug smile as I watched the waiter flap about trying to get me to the table.

He lead me through the very well dressed patrons of the restaurant, I coloured a little as I tugged at the hem of my dress. The waiter stopped by a booth in the corner of the restaurant. It was fairly private, but had a good view of the doorway I noted as I sat down opposite my partner in crime for the evening.

"You're guest Mr Rieper, let me know if you need anything." The waiter had a nervous edge to his voice.

"Thank you." Tobias's low voice was unmistakable, but as I turned my head away from the departing waiter to look at him I had to do a double take. He looked very different from his casual IT persona. He was wearing a black, expensive looking suit that fitted him perfectly; he looked like someone who could lift the table over his head if he wanted. He had on a white shirt and a vivid red tie; the red made his blue eyes even more intense as he watched me collect myself.

"You look…different." I eventually managed to stammer. He raised one eyebrow at me, the quiet, careful man he had been pretending to be had completely melted away. It was the first time I felt like I was seeing the real him.

"You look nice too." He was making small talk, clearly trying not to freak me out anymore than he already had.

"Yeah, ok. I don't do dresses so count yourself lucky I even tried tonight. Keeping up the pretence and all." I put handbag that was big enough to house my laptop next to me on the seat. I could thank Helen for coming to my rescue on that one, even though deflecting her nosy questions had been the consequence.

"I don't usually do this," He began, he spoke every word like he was choosing it carefully, "but under the circumstances I find myself needing a person with your skills."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I said dryly. I leant on the table, clasping my hands together. "Look, this isn't going to be a hard and fast thing like I said before. I would really like to keep my job after this so I'm going to need a few days to find a good way in."

The corner of his mouth lifted in the beginnings of a smile, "I understand."

I leant back in my seat again, "I'm guessing Tobias Rieper isn't your real name."

"No." He said evenly, the half smile still there. "But for the sake of keeping your job I think it's best if you don't know my name, or who I work for, for that matter." It seemed a reasonable enough suggestion; I couldn't help being curious though.

"Fair point. For the sake of the job you want me to do however, are you going to tell me why you're interested in Dom Johnson?" I folded my arms, unwilling to budge on this request.

Tobias sighed, "Your boss is believed to be involved with illegal hacking of personal information."

I snorted, "Kind of ironic that, don't you think?" He didn't laugh, instead he continued in his slow, monotone way.

"My clients think your boss is responsible for the death of a close family member, due to him harassing them and invading their privacy." I raised my eyebrows.

"Anything else?"

Tobias frowned at me, "Yes, he is also potentially selling the information he gets to under-ground criminal groups."

I gave a low whistle, "Jeez, that is something. I mean most tabloids are guilty of the first thing but only Dom could push it that far."

Tobias watched me carefully, gauging my reaction.

"So you're a private investigator, looking to expose him as revenge for whatever your client thinks he did?" He tilted his head to the side, the half smile returning.

"You could say that."

I looked down at my folded arms. "Ok, I can work with that. At least I know what I'm looking for now."

He suddenly changed his hard demeanor and the mask back up. I was still trying to process what was going on when the waiter returned to our table. How had even seen him coming?

Tobias ignored my shell-shocked expression and faced the waiter; he gave him a charming but reserved smile. God this guy was good at acting.

"Are you ready to order sir?" The waiter groveled. I rolled my eyes, I really had no time for these suck-up types.

"Yes thank you." I flashed a look at Tobias, I hadn't even seen a menu and wasn't sure I could afford whatever this place served anyway. He continued without a pause.

"We'll have the pan-fried duck with the '79 Pinot Noir." The waiter looked impressed and bowed his head slightly as he retreated.

"Very good sir."

Tobias turned back to me, his mask gone once more. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Keeping up the pretence." He said flatly, but I saw a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Sure, pretence. I'm more of a burger and chips kind of girl, but I'll go along with it."

He smiled, not the fake smile he had given the waiter or anyone at work the past two days, but a small, genuine smile. I couldn't help but grin back at him.

As quickly as it had appeared the smile vanished and he was back to business.

"How long do you think it will take you to get into the system?"

I thought for a moment, "All going well, around three days. Two days to find a way round the security without setting off any alarms, then I'll probably go for the break at night. Less eyes on the system then."

He nodded at me, satisfied.

"How do you want me to get the info to you? I don't really want to just hand you a hard drive in work."

"Don't send it, we'll meet back here and you can show it to me. Less chance of interception."

A thrill of excitement shot through me. I kind of liked this cloak and dagger stuff, especially as it was focused on my arse-hole of a boss.

...

My alarm screeched at me angrily. Groaning I reached around for it until finally silencing the offensive noise. Two times in a week I had woken with a hangover, this was becoming a habit. I stretched, waking up my limbs as I clambered out of bed. My brain was foggy but not hurting at least, I began by trying to piece together what had happened last night.

Wine didn't agree with me, obviously. I couldn't say I really drank that much, but it had a strong effect. I vaguely remembered finishing the 'pretence' meal; he had paid for it the smooth bastard, then leaving the restaurant a bit wobbly. He had insisted on dropping me at the nearby tube station, not wanting to know my address but at the same time uncertain about leaving me staggering about Shoreditch.

The first thought I had had was who drives in central London? But nothing Tobias had done so far made much sense to me, and I had accepted gratefully. The sleek, black Audi didn't stand out in the car park as only the rich parked in London, but I still looked at appreciatively.

"Pays well this detective work does it?"

"Yes." He gave me his half smile, opening the door and gently pushing me into the passenger seat. The ride had been quick and quiet, I remembered attempting to order my thoughts through the alcoholic haze.

He had pulled up by Old Street station and leant over me to open the door. I had got a good look at the tattoo on the back of his head, it had a serial number on it and everything.

"Bit of an unusual tattoo choice there." I stated, the wine giving me a rush of Dutch courage. He had slowly sat up and looked at me coldly.

"I didn't choose it." The tone of his voice made my blood run cold, I felt myself sober a little too.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I mumbled, really wanting to exit the car all of a sudden.

"Morgan." His voice was warmer but still monotone, "Try and sober up for your meeting with Johnson tomorrow." His face was expressionless, but his eyes still held an unsaid threat. I nodded mutely and clambered out not too gracefully, then made my slow way home.

I rubbed my face, cringing internally at my stupid prying. I needed to be more careful, this man was dangerous and still wasn't telling me everything. My curiosity would have to remain unsatisfied. I got washed and dressed, then putting my laptop in my work rucksack I left to get the tube.

My stomach was a mass of wriggling worms as I swayed uneasily on the train. I wasn't sure why my boss wanted to meet with me, but with recent events unfolding as they were I was reluctant to spend any time alone with him. Keeping my mouth shut and remaining clam was the key priority, Dom finding out would be disastrous but I had the feeling Tobias would be the one to watch if I revealed anything to my boss.

I was just waking up as I entered my office; Tobias was already at his desk back in his IT outfit of shirt with rolled up sleeves. I felt his eyes lock onto me as I walked towards Dom's office. It felt like a walk on death row, although I wasn't certain who was the one executing me. I knocked tentatively on the door and heard my boss' brash bark from within.

"Come in!"

With a backwards glance at Tobias I entered.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Morgan." Dom was sat behind his large desk positioned in front of a view of the Thames River. He was leaning back in his chair, surveying me as I walked in. His beady crocodile eyes bore into me making my stomach tighten. _Stay calm, just stay calm._ I repeated the mantra in my head as I took the seat opposite him.

"Thank you for meeting me, it was just a quick catch up really. See how you're getting on." I could smell a rat; he never caught up with anyone. "How long have you been with us now?"

"About four years" I replied cautiously. He nodded as if he knew the answer already; he had no fucking idea.

"Yes, that's right. You've become a valued member of the team." Yeah, something was definitely going on. He was talking in that way all bosses do when they are about to say something really crappy, but they don't want you to think its crappy.

"And this week you've proven yourself to be a talented photographer. I know we've been holding back on giving you any serious jobs here, but now you've shown what you're capable of I'd like to see you do more…heavy lifting as it were." He flashed a toothy grin at me, his eyes remained devoid of humour.

"Are you promoting me?" Being upfront was probably the best option, I didn't like people who didn't say what they meant and was reluctant to stay in here any longer than necessary. He leant forward clasping his hands together.

"In a way, I am. I want you to reach your full potential Morgan, but obviously I can't justify increasing your wage. Tough times and all." He stood up and came round to lean on the desk beside me. I felt like it was his intention to gain the high ground on me.

"However, I am willing to supplement your pay for certain…favours." Instinctively I recoiled from him, a look of outrage probably clear on my face. Dom laughed nastily at my expression.

"No no, my dear, I'm not that kind of man. I meant your skills with…computers shall we say." His eyes stared at me with an intensity I was becoming uncomfortable with. He lowered himself towards me and spoke in a low voice. "I'm not stupid, I know how you got that photo when no one else did." His breath was hot on my face. "Don't worry I'm not going to report you, yet. If anything I'm impressed, I need someone like you to help me… _us_ get ahead in the industry. Paper is dying Morgan, and we need new innovative ways to keep people buying our stories."

My gut twisted, he was asking me to hack to get ahead. I couldn't believe it; he was almost admitting what Tobias had claimed. Almost. I still didn't know to what extent he would go and how much he knew about me. I paused for a moment as if thinking.

"You want me to help you with…IT problems?" I said pointedly and attempted to look him in the eye. His grin widened and a nasty glint entered his eye.

"Exactly Morgan…I knew we'd see eye to eye. You help me from time to time and I'll make sure your career flourishes. You decide to take your services…elsewhere, and I'll make sure the authorities know all about your little hobby. Capeesh?" He watched me darkly as I leveled my gaze at him properly. I didn't like being threatened.

"Capeesh Mr Johnson." He snapped back to a friendly expression and clapped me on the shoulder.

"Brilliant, I'll let you know when I need anything." He returned to his seat and waved his hand towards the door. "That'll be all."

My legs were numb as I got up and left him, hands shaking as I closed the door carefully behind me; not with fear, with anger. I looked to Tobias as I stood by my boss' door. He was watching me, naturally, probably wondering if I'd spilt the beans on our little plan. To the contrary, I had come up trumps. Dom had practically confessed and now I was raring to take the bastard down.

...

"Bollocks." I swore to myself as I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring at the blue glare of my laptop in front of me. It was some ungodly hour in the morning but I wasn't ready to quit yet. The most recent firewall I'd found had detected my attempts to by pass it and was flashing a warning at me aggressively. If I didn't already think that Dom was up to no good, the level of security on our intranet was giving me a good idea of what he was capable of.

So far I had bypassed three firewalls, and a secure shell authentication system. This guy really didn't want anyone getting the dirt on him. I was beginning to lose patience, firewalls weren't usually an issue for me but I was clearing getting tired. Having access to the intranet myself should have given me an advantage, but it seemed my boss didn't trust his own employees.

Pinching the bridge of my nose I closed my laptop down, removing my encrypted dongle and putting them to one side. If I didn't want to brute force this I was going to have to get a Trojan horse virus into the system. That was going to be a head ache, but the more challenging this was getting the more I wanted to see what he was hiding. Plus I wasn't keen on finding out what Tobias would do if I were no longer any use to him.

I collapsed backwards on my bed, and after settling my whirring brain I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

...

There were dark circles under my eyes the next day, and everyone sounded like they were speaking through a wall.

"I asked if you needed a drink." Tobias' voice brought me back to the living; he was staring down at me, a mixture of concern and mild annoyance on his face. I blinked up at him and nodded lethargically.

"Yeah, I'll go make it now." He raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Turning towards Andy he asked pleasantly, "How about you Andy?"

Andy looked taken aback by Tobias' question, he hadn't actually talked to Andy at all until now.

"Ummm..yeah sure. A tea, thanks Toby." I smirked as I walked with Tobias towards the kitchen.

"Thanks Toobbby." I elongated the word, my tiredness making me brave. He gave me a dark look as we rounded the corner out of site of the office.

"Don't" His voice was dangerously quiet. My smirk widened, we were in a public place right now and I was delirious.

"What? It's the shortened form of your 'name' isn't it?" His look darkened further, and I was reminded of how he'd looked in the dark room when I'd ousted him. The smirk disappeared.

I was suddenly aware of how alone we were in the kitchen, and I busied myself with making coffee. Tobias joined me, his face back to a neutral stance. This guy was a master of his emotions; I was almost envious.

"Have you made any progress?" His voice was low, making sure only I could hear.

"Some and some," I replied, rubbing my face. "It's like Fort Knox. He's definitely hiding something but I'm going to need to up my game."

"What do you need?" He was stirring Andy's tea methodically; it was a comical image seeing someone stir tea so seriously.

"I might need to get into our servers after hours. They're located downstairs behind reception." He turned his head and looked down at me.

"I can help."

"How?" I wasn't happy about breaking into my work in the middle of the night, but was unsure what he could do to assist me.

"Tell me what you need to do and I'll get access to the servers." I turned to face him head on now, double-checking we were still alone. We were.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you'd break in?" Putting down the teaspoon he faced me folding his arms.

"Yes, you don't look like the breaking and entering type. I can do the leg work if you give me whatever you want to put on the servers."

I stared at him, my brain racing through the proposition.

"I can put the virus on a USB drive, but getting it on the server may be complicated."

I could see his brain working too, as if deciding whether to say something. Eventually, he nodded, "You can talk me through it."

...

The virus had taken a bit of fine-tuning but I thought it should work. I had created a masterpiece in my opinion; a virus disguised as a friendly update patch that would break down the firewalls and give me a convenient gateway into the system.

I played with the USB drive nervously as I waited on the corner of a nearby street under the orange glow of a streetlight. It was close to my flat by still not making it obvious where I lived. My heart was beating a little too fast for my liking as Tobias' black Audi pulled up beside me. He lowered the window and looked at me, his face a picture of calm. How did he do it?

"Here," I said briskly, handing him the small drive. He was wearing the suit he had worn the other night, but his hands were covered in a pair of black leather gloves that I hadn't seen before. The realisation that this was completely normal for him dawned on me, and I swallowed nervously.

"Thanks," He said placing it carefully in an inside pocket of his jacket. He reached behind him and pulled out a small case, which he handed to me.

"Take this, set it up at home and wait for me to contact you."

I took the case numbly, nodding as he raised his window without a parting comment and drove off towards the office.

Opening it back at my flat, I looked down at its contents. Inside was an unmarked CD rom disc and a headset with a microphone. I took out the disc and placed it in my laptop, an installer opened up asking permission to access my computer. There was no name for the program, just a .exe file. I clicked 'Ok' having to trust that it wouldn't infect my computer.

As the progress bar filled steadily I examined the headset. It was fairly simple, similar to what you see people in call centers using. I plugged it into my laptop as the program finished installing. There was no thumbnail for the icon, I double clicked on it and a black window opened requesting a password. I looked in the case and saw a slip of paper with a jumble of numbers and letters, typing it in, the login screen vanished replaced with a video call window. There was nothing else on the screen, nothing to tell me who had made this program or what it was for.

I adjusted the headset and put it on; I guess this was how I was going to step him through this crazy endeavor. I would usually never condone this, but the easiest way to insert this virus on the system was to do it directly. There was too high a chance that doing it remotely through the Internet would get me caught. Although, this was officially breaking the law and I was feeling very uneasy about Tobias being involved.

The screen suddenly came to life snapping me out of my troubled thoughts. I was looking at the side entrance of my work, from about chest level, well Tobias' chest level to be more specific.

"Morgan, are you there?" Tobias' voice was so clear in my ears I jumped half expecting him to be stood behind me.

"Errrr, yeah. I'm here." I stammered back, moving the mic nearer to my face.

"Good." He was calm and efficient. I couldn't see his face but I could hear in his voice that this was what he was used to. Without another word he began to move forward, his movement were fluid as the camera remained steady. I breathed out trying to calm my nerves; I was jangling with adrenaline.

Before I knew it Tobias was into the building, I hadn't even seem him break the side door open. The security in my work wasn't high, but since my encounter with the intranet I wasn't presuming anything. He moved soundlessly down the dark corridor, I had given him a rough idea of where the servers were housed, but I would be guiding him when I could. It was eerie being so detached and yet so responsible for what was happening a few miles away.

He reached a junction in the corridor and paused. I quickly made a mental note of where he was and interjected, "Left here." With no acknowledgment that I had spoken he quietly slipped left down another access corridor. There was a security camera ahead, but before I could say anything he flattened himself against the wall and edged underneath it to avoid its gaze. A few paces on and the bright sweeping light of a security guard torch lit the floor. Quick as lightning Tobias ducked into a nearby doorway and hid in the shadows. I watched, heart in my mouth as the security guard oblivious to the intruder wandered past, torch pointed in front of him.

Tobias moved on coming to another junction, I didn't have to think too long this time, "Right." This time a set of double doors greeted him at the end of the corridor, an electrical warning label on them.

"This is it." I said quietly, although only he could here me. He was upon them before I could blink, god this guy was quick when he wanted to be. I stayed silent as he assessed the door, not wanting to disturb him. A small panel off to the side showed this door required a keycard. I cursed under my breath, then grimaced as I realised he could hear me.

"Do the security guards have access?" Fear spiked through me at the sudden loudness of his voice in my ears.

"Yes, they should do."

Without hesitation Tobias turned back the way he had come and crouched down low as he walked. Confusion clouded my thoughts until I saw the silhouette of the security guard that had passed early in front of him. My eyes widened as I watched him advance on the unaware man.

In one purposeful movement he pounced on the man, wrapping an arm round his neck. My heart stopped, as my vision was obscured by the poor security guard being strangled. I could hear his struggles, then after a second silence. Tobias released him and he slide to the floor.

"Is he dead?" I whispered in a strangled voice. He was already searching the guard for his keycard.

"No." I closed my eyes in relief and not for the first time wondered what I was getting myself into.

With key card in hand he grabbed an arm of the guard and dragged him into the very doorway he had hid in earlier. Without a backwards glance he returned to the server room doors, they opened with a muted beep as he swiped the card. The cooling fans of the server room sounded deafening after the silence of the corridor. Tobias slipped in and shut the door behind him.

"Ok, there should be large center console pretty much dead ahead of you." He walked forward slower now, giving me chance to take in the surroundings. The tall server towers flashed with a dazzling display of tiny lights. Wires and cables were everywhere, to most people it would be a daunting prospect, but this was what I knew.

"There, to your right." He turned slightly to face a particular tower, which housed an interface unit for technicians to access the main frame. Tobias stood in front of it, waiting patiently for my instructions. I took a steadying breath and focused on the task we were here to do.

"Switch on the interface, there should be a button at the bottom of the screen." He did as I said and the screen burst to life. The glare temporarily blinding me, then the familiar menu options of a main frame appeared.

"Using the touchscreen select 'Main System'" Step by step Tobias delved further into the system's menu. About 5 minutes into my instructions he reached a screen asking him to insert media.

"Brilliant. There should be a port at the back of this tower, put the drive into it." He moved round and found the port, swiftly inserting the USB drive with the virus into it.

"Is that it?" He asked calmly.

"Nearly, to make sure the virus gets into the system we need to trick the main frame into installing it on all drivers as an update. Go back to the main screen and select install." Tobias did as I asked, then waited as I collected my thoughts.

"There should be a red cable in the back of the interface that isn't connect to anything else." He held up the cable for me to see. "That's it, connect that to the Ethernet port to your top left." I waited for him to follow my instruction. "Okay, now once the interface has finished installing it should ask you to mark it as an update. Say yes and we're done."

The progress bar finished and the request box popped up, I silently punched the air as Tobias selected okay and the system sent my virus through the intranet.

We had done it, but now we needed to get out. Without needing any prompting Tobias retrieved the USB drive and quietly exited the server room. The silence of the corridor pressed in on my ears as he stealthily made his way back they way he had entered.

He was nearly at the door to the street when it opened letting in the orange glow of the streetlights outside. Tobias instantly flattened himself against the wall so the open door hid him. A heavily armed security guard walked in slowly. He was carrying a particularly nasty looking machine gun, something I hadn't seen too often in London. Why was a guy that looked like he'd stepped out of an action film wandering around my office at night?

Tobias was completely still, and I could have sworn he had stopped breathing. The guard advanced further into the corridor and the door began to shut behind him, exposing Tobias' hiding place. Without a sound he crept up behind the guard, but just as he was about knock him out the guard turned round gun raised.

I clutched my mouth, trying not to scream and distract Tobias. Before the guard could fire he grabbed the nozzle and shoved it back into its owner's face stunning him. There was a shocked look on the man's face before Tobias wrenched the gun from his grasp and used the butt of it to knock the guard unconscious. He fell to the floor with a thud.

Dumping the limp body with the other security guard, I noted how they would have quite a surprise tomorrow when they both woke up. Tobias strode out the door and into the street beyond. There was a moment of silence between us, and I noticed I was gripping the sides of my laptop, my knuckles white.

"It should be uploaded to the intranet in a few hours and I should be able to get in by tomorrow."

There was a pause before his voice came through into my head calm and stoic as always.

"Well done Morgan, I'll see you tomorrow."

Then the screen went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I scrolled through the emails again; I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It had taken me two hours once the virus had taken to the system, to logon to the intranet and access Dom's personal emails. Tobias had been on the money about every claim; Dom was using underground hackers to access personal information on politicians, celebrities and even the general public. Then he was selling that information to other criminals on the deep web.

He had also sent a string of heavily encrypted emails to his lawyer in regards to Deedee Falon, a famous up and coming singer who had recently committed suicide. It must have been her family employing Tobias for this case. Dom had been asking his lawyer if he was liable, as the tragic star's suicide note had blamed his paper for making her life a living hell. The bile rose in my throat as I read on, Dom's lack of concern at causing a person's death was beyond disgusting.

Delving deeper I had come across something truly bone chilling; Dom had been using a surveillance company to monitor employees in work. Normal enough, most companies watched what their employees did online on work time. What was harrowing though was that Dom was taking the information and the personal details of all his employees and selling to the same people on the deep web as his hacked information. My details were floating around for any thief, creep or murderer to get.

I sat back from my computer, the blood draining from my face. This dickhead had a ton of dirt on him, but he had also sold us all down the river for a quick buck. I glanced at my alarm clock; it was 4am. Reluctantly I closed my laptop and put it on my bedside table. I would arrange to meet Tobias tonight to give him everything he needed, then I would improve the security in my home.

I buried myself under my duvet and wondered at how much had changed in the short span of a week.

...

 _Can we meet tonight?_

I had passed the hastily scribbled note to Tobias as soon as I saw a break in the day. It had been manic all morning, security were swarming the building obviously due to our little foray last night. I was a bag of nerves, convinced Dom knew I was somehow involved, but Tobias was calm as always playing his part perfectly.

Thankfully no one had realised the server room had been the target, rumour was it had been a group of amateurs messing around, trying to see if they could break in. I had almost laughed at that one, amateurs? They wouldn't have said that if they'd seen Tobias last night. He had looked like a man in his natural habitat, and I wasn't entirely convinced he was just some run of the mill PI.

He looked up at me now with his icy blue eyes, and nodded. My nerves steadied under his gaze, he just seemed to ooze serenity in any situation and it was always infectious. I wasn't sure that was necessarily a good thing. I walked back to my desk, happy that this whole mess was going to be over in time for the weekend. I planned to sleep through it all seeing as I had only managed about 4 hours a night so far.

A few people had commented on the random update the intranet had prompted them to install. I smiled, good, the more people who downloaded the virus the less likely anyone would be able to find out what I had done. The genius of this virus was it linked every IP that downloaded it to its origin, so if anyone tried to trace it back to me, they would only find a mass of different IPs all originating from this work place.

I was satisfied I had covered my tracks and certainly no one suspected Tobias for breaking in. All that remained was to give him the info he wanted and watch him walk out of my life. But I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit sad about that, and I couldn't put my finger on why.

I was on edge for most of the day, and Tobias didn't come near me at any point. He probably thought it safer to keep his distance due to our unusual alliance and criminal activity the previous night. Andy kept asking me if I was okay, my face likely betraying my nervous energy and lack of sleep. I kept reassuring him I was, smiling at him half-heartedly.

Around mid-afternoon I was sent out on a stock shot job. Exteriors of some politician's office; nothing too hard. I used the time alone to clear my jumbled thoughts and try and pin point this aching feeling in my chest. I was eager for things to return to normal, or should have been. I still couldn't stop feeling like something was about to end too soon. I had been frightened, angry, scared and pushed to my limit these past few days, but deep down I had loved every second of it. Then tonight it would be over, as if it had never happened.

I put on the same navy blue dress I had worn the last time I had visited this restaurant. My laptop stowed safely in Helen's borrowed purse. She had been texting me insistently, trying to find out who my mystery date was. I told her to bug off and mind her own business fondly. It was odd that I would never be able to tell her what had happened this week, or Andy for that matter.

The same waiter was standing at the door tonight, he recognised me instantly.

"Madam, right this way. Mr Rieper is already waiting for you." I gave him a small smile, too weary to get annoyed at his change of heart towards me.

Tobias was sitting in exactly the same place, and I had a strong sense of de-ja-vu. Once the waiter had left us I got out my laptop wordlessly. This was why we were here after all. He watched me coolly as I booted it up, the silence deafening between us.

"Are you ok?" His voice broke through the quiet. I broke my gaze away from my laptop and finally looked at him.

"Yes." I answered curtly, then after a moment I followed it with, "Are you?" His curious little half smile appeared, and his eyes softened slightly.

"Of course." He continued to watch me login and access the emails, with an expression that I could have sworn was amusement on his face.

"You're very serious tonight." He commented out of the blue.

I stopped mid type and gave him a sarcastic look. "Bit rich coming from you." The half smile widened into a full-blown grin, reaching all the way to his eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Fair point." He said the smile audible in his voice. "Are you done?" He asked nodding at the laptop. I acknowledged by turning the laptop to face him. The emails were all ordered by date and information type. His grin faded as he looked down at my handy work.

"Impressive Morgan." His eyes flicked up to me over the laptop. "To get this much information in the time span you did without being detected." He raised one eyebrow at me, "I'd say you're in the wrong profession."

I coloured slightly at his praise, "Thanks." My stomach tightened a little under his steady stare.

He focused back on my laptop and pulled out the USB drive I'd given him yesterday.

"I'd like to keep this if you don't mind." I frowned at his odd request.

"Sure, it's not much use now. I only designed it for my work's system." He inserted it into my laptop.

"Can I transfer these emails to it?" I nodded at him.

"Yeah, the virus isn't dangerous on there. It should be able to store those emails too."

The half smile I had become so familiar with returned to his face. "Think of it like a memento, for me to remember the past few days."

He was being very open tonight, it was like he trusted me suddenly. Once the emails had finished transferring he ejected the drive and placed it back in his jacket pocket. Gently he pushed my laptop back towards me, I retrieved it and hid it in my handbag.

"So I guess that's it then." I said, keeping my eyes on my handbag. I could feel the sad ache rising in my chest and I didn't want him to see me getting emotional.

"Yes, I have everything the client wanted me to get and you will have no repercussions following our recent unorthodox partnership." I risked a glance up at him; he was watching me carefully.

"I forgot to ask, who was that guy sneaking around my work last night? He looked a bit over dressed for a security guard." Tobias frowned as he remembered what I was talking about.

"He was a hired mercenary." My mouth dropped open.

"What!? Who hired him? Why was he there?" Tobias' eyebrows rose at my barrage of questions.

"Your boss appears to be very paranoid, and has hired him to guard the office after hours."

I shook my head, a heavy sigh I had been holding in for the past week escaped me.

"I just can't believe what some people are capable of. He was selling our details too you know." I leveled my gaze at Tobias, he stared back unblinking.

"You knew didn't you? Why didn't you say anything, all my information is on the deep web somewhere for any weirdo to see. I could be taken out tomorrow by some hired hitman."

He shook his head slowly, "No, you won't." The stress and sadness I had been feeling all day began to boil and turn to anger.

"How do you know that? You don't know that!" He was un-phased by my rising voice or my livid expression.

"Because I saw it and told the site that was selling it to take it down or they'd regret they ever entered their sorry business." The deadly edge to his voice sent a shiver up my spine.

"Thank you." My sincere gratitude was met with what appear to most as indifference, but I had got to know Tobias' subtle expressions and he looked at me kindly.

"It was the least I could do." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Morgan, can I ask you something?" For the first time since I'd met him he sounded unsure.

"Of course." I waited patiently for him to form what he wanted to say.

"What made you want to be a photographer?" I blinked at him a few times, the question taking me by surprise.

"I guess it was my parents," He didn't say anything, just sat there listening to me. I didn't know why he wanted to know this, but I couldn't think of any ulterior motive.

"We lived in the country and they always encouraged me to love the outdoors. I started taking photos of the wildlife around my home; there was something exhilarating about getting a good photo after tracking an animal. I did quite well actually, won a few awards then decided to study photography at Uni."

Tobias' eyes didn't leave me as I spoke. "Were they proud of you?"

"Yes, they thought I was going to become a world famous wildlife photographer, big dreamers as all parents are." I smiled at the memory of my mad parents screaming when I got my place in Uni, and then their pride when I told them I had got a job at a paper in London. I hadn't seen them in a year, and a gnawing, lonely feeling settled in my gut.

"They framed all my photos; foxes, rabbits, otters. I took loads, but there was always one animal I wanted to get that I never did." He tilted his head to one side.

"What was that?"

"A peregrine falcon." I said simply, "But not just a nesting one or one sat in a tree. A _hunting_ peregrine." I could feel the excitement catching in me talking about this, I hadn't spoken to anyone about photography like this for a while. For some reason it was really easy to tell Tobias.

"They're the fastest bird of prey, and at hunting speed they can reach speeds of up to 240 miles per hour." His eyes widen slightly, that had impressed him.

"To get one of those diving for its prey…well that would make me a truly great photographer." I grinned at him, he stayed quiet letting the excitement hang between us.

My grin slowly faded and I frowned at him, "Why did you want to know that?"

Tobias looked towards the door of the restaurant as he replied, "I was interested in what made you decide to do what you do." He turned back to face me, "I'm glad I asked." He half smiled at me, I gave a small smile back.

"I have to go Morgan." He stood up and looked down at me. "I have to do something tonight and I might not see you again. Thank you for helping me, and good luck."

And with that he turned and left me sat at the booth. I watched his broad figure retreating, the barcode tattoo still standing out on the back of his head.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _The infamous Chief Editor of an influential London newspaper has been reported dead this morning in his office near London Bridge. He was found by security staff in what police describe as an upsetting scene, they are investigating the area and have advised anyone with any information to come forward. The newspaper's London office has been closed for the foreseeable future as detectives try to determine whether this was a tragic accident or a brutal murder._

I stood frozen in front of the TV, the remote clutched in my hand. What…the…fuck? I knew this was Tobias, the minute I had heard the news report I had known it was him.

My mobile rang breaking into my stupor, I jumped and quickly went about searching for it amongst my bomb site of a flat. The insistent ringing started to annoy me, "Where the hell are you?" Eventually I located it under a pile of dirty clothes. The caller ID was Andy, I accepted and turned back to the TV.

"Hey."

"Hey, have you seen the news?" I asked, jabbing at the volume button so I could hear him.

"Yeah, it's why I'm ringing." The phone went silent as Andy tried to get it together. "Can you believe this? This sort of thing just doesn't happen in the real world…I mean it does obviously, but I never thought…Do you think he was killed?" His voice wavered at the meaning in those words. Did someone murder our boss in our place of work, a few feet from where we sat everyday?

"Yes. I think he was killed." I was unsure whether I should be telling him my suspicions, but the shock of the situation had lowered my inhibitions somewhat.

There was another silence on the end of the phone, but I could hear Andy breathing. "What do we do now? Work is shut and no one from the paper has contacted anyone." The realisation kicked in finally; for the time being I had no job!

"Look, it's not that bad. I'm sure it'll open once they've searched the scene for evidence. We'll be back to work in no time." My reassurance to Andy wasn't believable to me though. Who was I kidding? I'd be out on my arse within the week.

"OK…you're right I guess. I'm going to see if I can find out what the time frame will be." I smiled a little, he was a journalist after all.

"Ring me if you find anything."

"Sure sure. Bye Morgan."

"Bye." I hung up and let my hand fall to my side. My brain was buzzing with the craziness of it all. I needed to take my mind off of the horrific fate of my ex-boss, and the potential suspect. Without thinking anymore about it I dialed in Helen's number into my phone.

"Hey," I said, my voice betraying my mood, "Can we meet?"

"Sure, what's the matter hun?" Hearing Helen made me instantly relax.

"I'll tell you when I see you. Meet at the usual place?"

"OK, be there in half an hour."

Leicester Square was busy today. Tourists with their backpacks and cameras wondered around the large square, marvelling at the multitude of cinemas and theatres. Helen and I were sat in a coffee shop we both loved on the edge of the tourist trap.

She watched me with worried eyes as I stare out into the crowd sipping my coffee absent-mindedly. I had insisted we sit outside even though it was nearly winter, I wanted to watch the people go about their normal lives.

"I've not seen you like this before hun." She said brushing her perfect long brunette hair over her shoulder. I had always been a little envious of how organized and sophisticated my friend was. She just seemed to have everything sussed, whereas I always felt two steps behind everything. We had gone to school together and I had been the one to excel academically, but socially…well Helen had been the popular one.

"I'm fine, really." I insisted for the umpteenth time. She gave me a look to suggest she was not convinced.

"Your boss is dead. I'd be freaked out too." She delicately lifted her espresso cup to her face, "I mean he died right there, where you were working yesterday." She took a drink as I turned my head sharply to look at her.

"Yes thank you Helen. I am aware of the creepiness of the situation." She gave me an apologetic smile putting down her cup. An awkward silence grew as she fiddled with a napkin on our table.

"Anyway…enough of the gore. Tell me about this mystery man you've been seeing, and borrowing my possessions for." A forced lightness was in her voice, but I thought it best to veer away from the previous subject. Even if this one wasn't much better.

"He's no one. I wasn't dating him as I have before, and he's gone now anyway so nothing to tell." Helen pouted at me childishly.

"Really? The first man you've ever shown an interest in enough to dress up like a girl, and he's no one? I don't think so missy." I let out a heavy sigh and stared at her coolly.

"Helen. Even if I was interested in him, he was not the sort of man that would be interested in me, so it really doesn't matter." I looked down at my hands as I felt the colour rising in my cheeks. "It's hard to explain."

She smiled and reached over to hold my hands. "It's alright Morgs, you don't have to explain. You don't need to." I looked up gratefully to see her kind eyes assessing my expression. She leant back and stared out over the square. "Still, I'd wish I'd met him. The man that can get my Morgan in a tizz is a man I want to meet." She grinned at me cheekily; I glared back.

"How are you?" I asked pointedly, steering the subject away from Tobias.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Greg is being a dick again." Greg was Helen's ex who had an unhealthy obsession with her, and a very strange search history on his laptop I had found when I went snooping.

"Tell him to do one." I said and she laughed.

"Yeah, not that simple Morgs. But thanks for the advice."

We sat chatting happily with each other for the rest of the afternoon, and I slowly began to forget about the events of the week just gone.

That feeling quickly went away when I returned to my quiet flat and found a bill on my doorstep. Crap, the reality of no job crashed down on me. I would be okay for a week or two but soon the money would dry up and the bills would flood in. I picked up the letter gingerly, it had my name 'Morgan Williams' in official looking font which was never a good sign.

I stared at the bill as I walked into my living area, trying to will it to disappear. Placing it on the kitchen counter I looked up to see a man sat on my sofa with his back to me. I yelled, my heart promptly leaving body, and picked up the nearest thing to hand to use as a weapon. The man turned around, and once my heart had decided to return to my body and restart, I noticed he was bald with a tattoo on the back of his head.

Tobias looked at me quizzically, eyeing the object in my raised hand. I glanced at what I had grabbed and noticed my chosen weapon had been whisk I had left on the kitchen side. Sheepishly I lowered the less than intimidating weapon, and narrowed my eyes at the intruder.

"Not cool." He stood slowly and walked silently towards me. I rested both my hands on the counter and tried to slow my now painfully beating heart.

"If you were aiming to give me a heart attack, you were dangerously close to achieving it." I managed to wheeze; looking back up I took an abrupt step back as I found him stood right in front of me. The counter put some neutral space between us, but it couldn't stop my stomach doing a small flip as he gave me his half smile.

"Hello to you too." He had on his white shirt and red tie, but his top button was undone and his shirtsleeves rolled up exposing his muscular forearms. His suit jacket was slung over the back of my sofa, and I wondered how long he had been sat there before I came in, noting the messiness of my flat.

"I thought you didn't know where I lived?" He raised his eyebrows at me, his blue eyes boring into mine.

"I thought you'd feel safer if you thought I didn't know." I folded my arms, the closed of stance making me feel more in comfortable.

"You knew anyway." He nodded slowly. I closed my eyes, the events of the last few days rushing back to me. "You killed him didn't you?" I looked him straight in the eye as I said it, no longer caring if I over stepped the mark. His face was still, his steely gaze never leaving mine.

"Yes." It was such a simple answer but it made my knees give way, I grasped the counter to stop myself from falling. Tobias, or whoever he was I still didn't know, watched my reaction. When I was sure I wasn't going to collapse in a heap I straightened up, the blood draining from my face as I noted his impassive expression.

"Wait! Are you here to kill me now!?" My eyes widened in panic, I was screwed. There was no way I would out run him or out fight him for that matter. The horror of the situation seeped through, welding my limbs in place. Tobias was still amusing himself with my reactions to this conversation, and his half smile returned.

"No."

It was like that word released me, and this time I did collapse on the floor. He leaned over my counter and quirked an eyebrow at me. After a moment of collecting my thoughts, I untangled my limbs and struggled over to my sofa. I edged past him trying to keep a hold on the counter as I did. Dumping myself in the chair and holdig my head in my hands. Tobias casually walked over to stand in front of me; he didn't sit down just stared down his nose at me.

"O…k. So you're not a Private investigator then?" He shook his head at me, the smile still in place. "You're a…hitman?" The silent nod made my stomach do another flip. That explained a lot.

"I was hired to kill your boss, but I needed the information you obtained for me first." I lifted my head and gave him a sarcastic look.

"You're welcome." I frowned at him then as a thought crossed my mind. "Hang on, why are you here telling me all this? Doesn't that make me a witness?" He sighed and sat down beside me. I couldn't help focusing on the contact between our arms as he squeezed onto my tiny sofa. I reddened slightly and looked down to stop him from seeing. He probably had though.

"It does Morgan, but I need you to know what I am before I tell why I am here." His voice was careful, like he was trying not to scare me off. "I know I said there'd be no repercussions for you after helping me, but obviously that hasn't been the case."

"Bit of an understatement, everyone has lost their jobs now." He ignored my interruption.

"I want to help you. I think you're wasted as a photographer, I can get you an interview for a new job but it isn't going to be easy." He was unperturbed by my look of utter confusion. "I've arranged a meeting for you tonight at the restaurant we met at."

"Why? What's the job?" He looked away from me.

"The person you're meeting will fill you in on it. It's good money Morgan, and I have a feeling you'll excel at it." He turned back to me, a hint of humour dancing in his eyes. "Just try not to get drunk okay."

My eyes narrowed at him, "Very funny." He got up and retrieved his suit jacket from the back of the chair.

"I know I've said this before but this time I really don't know if I'll see you again. So…good luck. 7pm sharp, tonight ok?"

I nodded numbly at him, "Ok." He turned and began walking to the door. Just before he reached it I snapped out of my confused haze and leapt to my feet.

"Wait." He faced me, his look quizzical. "What's your real name? It'd be nice to know before you just walk out of my life."

He gave me a rare full smile and shook his head, "Still not going to tell you Morgan, but if you get the job you might get your answer someday."

And with that he turned and quietly exited my flat.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

This place was going to have to give me a loyalty card or something. This time I hadn't bothered to dress up fancy; if this mystery employer wanted me they could take me as I was. The waiter looked like he was going to have a heart attack when he saw my faded blue and green checked shirt rolled up at the sleeves and my favourite jeans. I didn't wait for the assessment.

"I'm meeting someone…don't know their name but mine is Williams." My annoyed, brisk tone made the waiter blink rapidly, before he hurriedly looked down at his list.

"Of…course. Ah, here you are Williams, yes. Your guest is already seated. A different one from your previous nights."

"An astute observation, how about not making any more for the remainder of the night?" My confidence seemed to work and the waiter bowed nervously at me before gesturing for me to follow him.

"Yes, madam. Right this way please."

The nonsense of the last week had given me a fearlessness that I'd never had before, and I kind of liked it. I smiled smugly as I walked past the patrons, this time all of them stared. Whatever; I wanted to see what this mystery interview was all about and bail when they realised I wasn't going to be useful.

We were back at mine and Tobias' booth, a sad smile crept onto my face as I sat down, the waiter hurrying off the minute I took my eyes off him. The woman sat opposite regarded me with kind brown eyes, but there was a hard edge to them, as she looked me up and down. I held her gaze, un-phased after all the staring competition's Tobias had given me recently this was easy. She had dark red hair tied neatly back behind her slim face, her hands rested elegantly in front of her. She looked like she belonged here, she wasn't old but there was years of experience written on her face.

I folded my arms on the table, and waited for her to start. Eventually, she smiled at me, an open honest smile that made me relax instantly.

"Good evening, my name's Diana. I've been very much looking forward to meeting you." I raised my eyebrows a little, her refined English accent fitting the environment perfectly.

"Someone's been talking about me evidently." Diana's smile widened.

"Yes Morgan. I've heard a lot about you."

"Good or bad?"

She chuckled, "Good of course. Otherwise we wouldn't be meeting tonight." I couldn't figure out if she meant there wouldn't have been an interview or if there wouldn't have been a me if it were bad.

"Sorry, but I wasn't told what this job or who you are so I'm a little in the dark with all this."

Diana nodded as if she already knew this and reached into an expensive looking handbag next to her.

"As you can understand Morgan, having met our mutual friend," My stomach kicked at the mention of Tobias. God damn it. "This job is an extremely sensitive one. Therefore before I tell you exactly what it is you would be doing I need you to agree to accept it."

I raised my eyebrows at her, "Hang on, I have to accept before I know what it is I am accepting?"

"Exactly."

I bit my lip nervously; this week had been a rollercoaster and now I was potentially about to leap even deeper down the rabbit hole. Diana seemed amused at my perplexed expression as she produced a sheet of paper from her bag and placed it on the table between us.

"I can give you an idea of what it entails, just so you feel your decision is a bit more informed. But to as to who you'll be working for or what your role will be I cannot divulge that until you have signed this." She placed a fountain pen neatly by the side of the paper and folded her hands back in front of her.

I stared at the glaringly white form in front of me. There was no header or insignia to tell me whom it was from. It just had a non-disclosure clause on it stating I wouldn't tell anyone about this meeting, and a contract of employment below to an unnamed company. My eyes flicked from her to the paper and back.

"Ok, I'm listening." I said breaking my gaze away from the contract and leaning back in the seat. Diana paused for a moment, assessing my mood before continuing.

"This job is an extremely unusual and privileged opportunity. We only take the best and brightest into its training program, and it is fraught with danger. You will experience death, maybe not your own but it is an integral part of what we do. As I am sure you have witnessed." She smiled at me knowingly; I sat still waiting for her to finish.

"The pay is…substantial for those who progress and you can travel the world. The consequences however, are great."

I tilted my head to the side, "Greater than losing your life?" Her face was solemn.

"Yes, you will not be able to tell anyone what you do. Including your family, and you will cease to exist as Morgan Williams. Due to the nature of our work we will use a codename when referring to you to protect you and the people you love. It is hard and lonely sometimes what we do but it is a job like no other."

Her eyes bored into me as I took in what she had said. No friends, no family, no name. I was struggling to see the upside; on the other hand I had reveled at the excitement of the past few days and had seen changes in me that I liked. Plus, it could be the only way to see Tobias again. The thought of him made me frown as a question formed.

"Would I be doing what our mutual friend does? Cause I don't think I am built for that." Diana's smile returned.

"No, this job is less…hands on shall we say."

I breathed a sigh of relief, I don't think in any world I would be a good assassin.

"Ok, so I've got the job if I want it? I thought there were questions at an interview." Diana leant forward then; her expression serious.

"I'll be honest with you Morgan, this is a very unorthodox way for us to recruit. Usually we go through the most prestigious Universities, hand selecting their best students. Never in all the time I have worked for this company has a field agent recommended anyone, especially not this particular one. So you had the job the minute you walked through that door."

I was taken aback. What had Tobias said about me? I didn't know what to do, this felt like a life changing moment and I had always wanted to be a photographer. But I still couldn't shake the feeling that everything I had done had been leading to this moment. It was a lot to take in; the form stared at me relentlessly. I hadn't known my life was boring until this week and when I look back this is when I say I became a different person.

Gingerly I picked up the fountain pen, and for the last time signed my name. Diana watched my every move, and only when the pen left the page did she give me a broad smile and offer her hand.

"Welcome to the ICA's handler program Morgan." Her grasp was firm but warm, and a bubble of excitement burst in my chest. "From now on you work for the agency. We are an international under-ground conglomerate that completes contracts paid for by anyone with the money. We aren't answerable to any political group, government organisations or criminal syndicates. We are neutral, and the best. No mission is impossible and we have shaped the world you live in now more than you realise."

I listened in awe of what Diana was saying. She had become all business, her voice explaining everything carefully and clearly.

"As a handler you will be responsible for providing information and assistance to your assigned agent. This will include gathering intel on your contract beforehand, and even offering guidance in the field." She paused and gave me a smile. "Although I am aware you already have experience of that." I blinked at her, remembering my brief foray into criminality.

"The ICA has had a rough history; it's been betrayed many times. It is because of this that we decided to keep all personnel confidential. The only colleagues whose names you'll know will be myself and a few other senior members. All others will be referred to by their codenames, and you will only ever know the identity of the agent assigned to yourself. This way we can minimize the damage if anything else happens to the agency."

I nodded solemnly, thinking I understood. It was a lot to take in.

"You'll have to relocate to Denmark for your training, and if you progress you'll be allowed to move wherever you like once an agent has been assigned to you. We typically use avian codenames for our handlers, we can assign you one or alternatively if you have a preference we will consider it."

A slow smile spread across my face at this.

"I've got one in mind."

 **A/U: That's end of Part 1, hope you are enjoying. I am writing Part 2 as we speak and will upload chapters as I finish them. Any comments welcome. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Part 2 - Denmark

Chapter 9

My nose was almost touching the screen as I concentrated on hacking into the CCTV system. The agent helping with our training waited patiently for me to disable the cameras. He was crouched down behind some crates as ICA operatives patrolled the warehouse acting as security guards. He didn't have to wait long; I was in within seconds.

"Done, all security systems disabled." My voice was confident and steady in his ear. He acknowledged by quietly moving towards the stairs to gain access to the upper floor. That was where our target was.

The whole warehouse was housed in a large aircraft hangar hidden somewhere in the Danish countryside. It was a simulated environment but I still got a thrill every time I did one of these sessions. It always felt so real. He crept soundlessly up the metal stairs and reached the second level walkway. I glanced at the blue prints for the warehouse; the Colonel's office was the last room.

"Dead ahead, last door on the left." I informed my agent. He moved quickly along the walkway, careful not to alert the guards below. Reaching the door he stopped and listened crouched next to the door. I could hear talking from the room through the agent's microphone.

"It's not good enough Saunders, I need these weapons shipped tonight." The operative playing the Colonel was doing his job well; the aim was to make these scenarios as real as possible to prepare us for the actual thing, and they definitely knew how to do that. Every detail was rehearsed to give us an accurate idea of how to tackle a contract.

"Yes sir, there's been a problem with the contractors. They haven't arrived to transport the freight yet."

I looked down at my intel sheet; all the information I had gathered on the contract was there. I had hacked into the transport company's database beforehand, small fry to me nowadays. They were due to take the freight shipment at 1800 but had been waylaid, by yours truly, putting a little detour in their route planner. All I needed to do now was ring Lieutenant Saunders' phone to inform him of the problem with the transport and lure him away from the Colonel.

He had been my only real issue, as he was reported to stay with the paranoid Colonel at all times. This was the plan I had formulated beforehand seeing his name on the company's clients list.

"Find a place to hide while I get him out." I warned the agent, he quickly located an empty crate on the walkway and climbed inside. Hastily I dialed the Lieutenant's number into the phone next to me. It had a hidden number so no one would trace it back to here. I heard the muffled ringing from inside the crate and then Saunders picked up the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hello there sir, this is Samantha calling from Freightline Limited. We apologies for the delay of our drivers but there has been a slight problem with the paperwork at the security checkpoint at your premises. Would you be so kind as to assist them so they can gain access to the freight you want transported?" Sometimes I scared myself with the ease at which I could lie nowadays, it had almost become habit.

"Oh for god's sake. Okay, tell them I'll be there now." He hung up and I heard the muted conversation he had with the Colonel before Saunders emerged from the room and walked straight past the agent's hiding place.

"All clear." I instructed once I was sure the Colonel's bodyguard had well and truly gone.

The agent quickly returned to the door and waited a moment to ensure the Colonel was occupied. The rest was up to him now; I had got him safely to the target. All I could do was let him do his job as I watched on. He opened the door silently; the Colonel had his back to him staring at a map on the wall behind his desk. The agent slipped in and stood up.

Even though I knew this wasn't really happening I still felt a shiver travel up my spine as he took out a fiber wire and advanced on the Colonel. The deed only took a second or two, the Colonel's legs kicking against the floor. Then he lowered the limp body to the floor, and turned to leave.

The exit was already clear from our journey in, and there was no evidence of him ever being here. As he pressed the 'End Mission' button by the vehicle outside the perimeter, the lights switched on in the room I was in, the screen showing me the warehouse going black.

I breathed out and twisted in my chair to look at the two-way mirror behind me. I felt the tension fade away as the usual ecstatic high of completing a mission kicked in. It really was like a drug. The fact I was training to help take people's lives never really crossed my mind; I couldn't let it.

"How was that?" I asked the mirror.

"Well done Peregrine, that was a new personal record." Diana's voice came over the speaker in the room, I could hear the barely concealed pride.

"Yes, I don't think anyone else can access security systems quite as efficiently and quickly as you girl." Training Director Mahone's voice was gruff and abrupt in contrast to my mentor's, but I coloured slightly at the praise.

"Thank you." I got up and left the handler training room. I found the pair waiting for me in the corridor outside.

Diana smiled at me, "I think you're nearly ready to take the test Initiate."

It had been six months since I had first set foot in the ICA's headquarters in Copenhagen. Since then I had done things I never thought I would, I had had extensive training in covert operations, tutoring on the different ways to kill a person (that one had been a fun one) and because of my 'special skill' as everyone kept calling it I had been encouraged to expand my hacking knowledge. My proudest moment regarding that had been when I had successfully infiltrated the CIA's government system, only for about a minute but it still counted.

The final test would be a random contract selected from the Agency's history; usually it was their most challenging ones. If you succeeded you were cleared for field duty, if you failed…well, you were kicked out and god only knows what happened to ensure your silence.

I grinned at Diana, "Well, I learnt from the best." Diana had been my mentor from the start. Every initiate had one, but apparently this was the first time she had taken someone under her wing. I could still remember the envious looks from the elite Ivy League and Oxbridge University candidates that first day, as I walked through the induction meeting with her at my side.

Director Mahone grunted, his main form of communication, before turning on his heels and walking away from us. I let my shoulders hunch as the stress left me.

"It takes it out of you doesn't it." Diana commented. She started walking towards the main atrium, I followed letting my brain shut down slightly. We walked in companionable silence; I liked my mentor's quiet and unassuming style of teaching. She never pushed too hard, she always knew when I had had enough.

We reached a large open stairway; I had grown to love this building. It had been very intimidating when I had first arrived, all modern architecture and glass. I remembered thinking it was very open and light for a secret organisation that dealt in assassinations. It had an amazing view of Copenhagen and the Nyhavn River.

We descended the stairs heading for the atrium below. Diana turned her head slightly to look at me as she spoke, "You're doing well Peregrine." I smiled at her, my codename had taken a while to get used to but now I responded like I used to Morgan.

"I honestly believe you could pass that test tomorrow." She continued. I could feel a warning in her tone. "I just want you to remember what becoming an active handler will entail however."

I frowned, confused at her request. It was a bit late in the day for that one wasn't it?

"I am aware." I stated; my tone perplexed. I saw her slowly shake her head.

"This isn't a game initiate. Once you're in the field your agent will be killing real people, in real situations under your guidance." I paused on the stairs, turning to look at my mentor full in the face.

"I know." She looked back at me, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"It's not something I can prepare you for. Taking someone's life for the first time, whether you're the one pulling the trigger or just helping to hold the gun, it's an…experience." I took in her solemn words.

"It's okay Diana, I know what I'm getting into. I signed that form remember." She smiled at the mention of our first meeting.

"You've changed so much since then Peregrine. You're going to make an excellent handler." We continued to walk down the stairs.

"I'll talk to Director Mahone about scheduling your final test. Keep practicing your computer skills, that's your ace in the hole with any contract." I nodded as we reached the bottom of the stairs. Diana touched my arm briefly as she walked briskly away. I swiped my pass on the security gates, giving the guard a cursory nod.

The atrium looked like any modern company's reception, I guess that was the point, hidden in plain sight. There was a wall of glass at the entrance letting in natural light. The security here looked minimal but anyone working here knew better. This was the headquarters of the ICA, and only the chosen few who were selected to work here knew what lay behind the corporate façade.

I made my way out, heading to my apartment in the middle of the city. It was late afternoon now; the sun was just beginning to redden, casting an interesting light on the impressive building behind me. Making my way to the metro I glanced down at my phone; there were a few texts from Helen and Andy, and my mum had sent me a message about her and Dad's new extension. I smiled sadly, once it had sunk in what I was going to do I had told my parents I was moving abroad for a new photography job. They had been ecstatic, of course, but I had felt a lead weight inside me having to lie to them. Diana had been right too, the training salary alone was more than I had ever thought I would earn in a lifetime. I wasn't the extravagant type, so I had instantly started transferring half of it to my parents every month through an anonymous bank account. They just thought they'd won some competition my mum usually entered without realising it. Their happiness made the separation from them somewhat easier.

I boarded the metro train and leant my head against the cool glass of the window, closing my eyes. I was always tired after doing a simulation. God knows what I was going to be like after doing a real contract. The train jolted me as it rounded a corner and I snapped to attention. It wasn't rush hour yet, but the carriage was quite busy. As I opened my eyes I caught a glimpse of a tall man with a baldhead; my heart squeezed uncomfortably in my chest as I tried to focus on him, but he had disappeared in the crowd further down before I could get a good look at him.

I didn't think about Tobias that often, but often enough for me to notice his absence. Obviously, due to the secrecy of the agency I had no idea which of the agents he was. I knew most of their names by now, but their identity was well hidden. I knew not to pry too much. I wondered sometimes if he ever thought of me, and how much he had changed my small life.

The train pulled into my stop and I got up, stretching my legs. Copenhagen was miles apart from London; the metro was clean and on time, the city was bright and modern not cluttered and stuffy. The people were lovely, I never felt like anyone wanted to start a fight with me just for looking at them, like they did in my old home. Making my way down the small side street to my apartment complex I checked my phone again, this time for encrypted messages.

As a way of furthering my skills as a hacker I had decided to offer my services online for people who maybe couldn't afford the Agency's premium rate, but still needed help. I hadn't told anyone at work obviously, but I thought there was no harm in it. There was a new message waiting for me and I hurried into my apartment to get to my PC.

My new home in Denmark was a hundred times bigger than my London hovel. I had rooms! Actual rooms with walls. I went to my office where my PC was set up; I may not have been into buying expensive things but I had definitely invested in my computer. Rubbing my eyes as I started the machine, I sat cross-legged on my chair and opened my onion router. The message was from someone in America, a guy was being blackmailed by his neighbour, for money he didn't have and needed me to delete the information being held against him.

This one was fairly simple and I messaged the man back asking for as many details as he could give me. I didn't charge for this; but it wasn't easy to find my site on the deep web. I figured only the truly desperate would go to such lengths, and they deserved my help for free.

The man was quick to message back and gave me a full name and address; brilliant, this wouldn't take long. Usually I just went off a description, maybe a first name nothing else. I quickly found my target on a social media site and gathered as much information from there as I could. People really needed to learn how to use the privacy settings on these things. Next I moved onto his email, which he had kindly provided me in his 'About Me' page. Idiot.

I used a password cracker program to run through options on his email login. While it ran I leant back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. A nervous energy had been in me since Diana had mentioned the consequences of me becoming a fully-fledged handler. What did I really think of witnessing an agent actually kill someone? I wasn't sure, in theory I had seen it done repeated times but those targets had been operatives pretending and they had always got back up. I hadn't even really seen Tobias kill my old boss, just the gruesome aftermath on the news. It felt like a lifetime ago that day, these past six months had disappeared so quickly.

The program pinged as it found a match to his password and I logged in to the target's email account. There was a lot of junk to sift through; finally I hit the jackpot. An email from his Internet provider. I quickly copied the email address and made a dummy one that was near identical. I used a link that would give me access to his computer if he clicked on it and sent it under the guise of a maintenance check. Phishing emails were usually easy for someone who knew computers to see, as long as you were observant.

I sent it and waited patiently. 'Ping', yeah, this guy wasn't very observant. He had clicked the link and now I was able to remote in to his computer.

"Thanks friend." I said under my breath and I swiftly set to work. I knew what I was looking for and in no time I had located the video and image files he had stashed away on my guy. Erasing them from the hard drive I smirked imagining his panicked face as I deleted his data. Before I released him I inserted a virus onto his hard drive that wiped anything non-essential from his computer. Then a message popped up on his screen:

 _If you attempt to do this to someone again I'll post your details onto the deep web where you won't be able to delete it. Blackmail isn't very nice, is it._

Satisfied I gave control back to the user and shut my browser. I sent a message on my phone back to the guy who had requested my help, saying everything should be fine. Not a challenging case but I felt a bit better for helping out a random stranger.

As I was about to leave the office I got an email from work. Quickly I opened it, seeing it was from my mentor.

 _Spoken to Mahone, he agrees you're ready. Test is scheduled for next week._

 _Good Luck Initiate._

My smile turned into a grin, this was it. The moment my training had been building towards, and I couldn't wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/U: I know it's been a bit of a delay with this one, but work has been busy lately. I will try and up the speed on them. Thanks to all who are reading so far, I would love to hear what you think. Just so I can improve and adapt the story accordingly. :)**

Chapter 10

My mouth was dry and I was finding it difficult to breathe as I walked into the simulation room. The day had come round far too quickly; and even though I knew there was nothing more I could have done, I still felt underprepared. The room hadn't changed from the times I had done a simulation before, but the atmosphere was different. Like there was an expectation in the air.

I shot a sideways glance at the two-way mirror as I walked in; I wasn't sure who exactly was behind that glass but I knew at the very least Diana and Training Director Mahone were there, watching my every move. I took a deep breath and sat down at the desk where my computer and files were laid out. I had been told my contract two days ago, giving me just enough time to prepare.

It was a toughie, a powerful CEO of an Internet company. Very paranoid, very tech savvy and very well defended. I had the feeling they had chosen this one on purpose to test my hacking skills to their limit, and boy were they going to be. I had already done as much surface research as I could, this guy was impenetrable from the outside. Not only did he own a company that's main purpose was to provide better access to the Internet, but he was also the lead on the latest anti-hacking security.

I had had a mini panic attack when Diana had handed me the files. She had chuckled at my shell-shocked expression and insisted I would be fine. I wasn't so sure. Gaining access to this target's security systems would not be a walk in the park. He had a sophisticated firewall in place that detected any attempt at a break in from a non-employee. The cherry on the cake was that not only did they expect me to help the agent take-down this guy, they wanted me to retrieve all research on a surveillance program he was creating that allowed the user to access web cams and phone cameras of the general public. After two days of non-stop work, I thought I had the solution to getting the info. All I had to do now was do the deed.

I tried to steady my hands as I placed the headset on my head. I logged in to the agency laptop in front of me, and the screen burst to life showing me the imitation office building they had created for my test. This always gave me a twist of fear in my stomach, the amount of money these people threw at something like training made me realise how powerful they were. I placed my hands flat on the desk in front of me and closed my eyes for a moment. Opening them I focused on the screen in front of me, shutting out everything that could distract me from my task.

"Good Afternoon agent, your target Damian Daniels is located in the highly secure headquarters of his company Infotech. Not only is there a number of security staff guarding him, but he has also surrounded himself with the latest security technology, including biometric scanners and an intelligent CCTV system that recognizes intruders. I can help you with the latter but avoiding any cameras will unsure you are not spotted immediately. The heaviest security is focused on the main entrances of the building. I suggest finding a back door to this technological Fort Knox."

I had no idea who the agent was for this test, as I never saw their faces and we would only ever know who they were if we were assigned to them. I imagined this would be a lot easier once I knew my agent and could adapt my plan of action to suit them. Adrenaline rushed through me as the camera advanced towards the plywood construction ahead. The test was officially underway, no turning back now.

I turned to the laptop next to me and opened up an onion router. I didn't have long to try and crack this, those cameras were the first problem that needed solving. I had to admit they were a work of art; every employee was scanned in to the system as all cameras in the building used facial recognition. If an unknown face was scanned the CCTV would immediately alert security staff and lock down the building. It was a perfect design, but everything has its flaws.

The loophole I had found was the cleaning staff. No one paid much attention to low-level people, and that was always their undoing. It was why I had been such a good photographer, no one ever looked twice at me. The company used freelancers to save on outgoings, and as the turnover was so high they weren't required to scan into the system. Instead the cameras just noted the uniforms worn by the cleaners and let them through. This was what I was hoping the agent would find round the back of the building, a lone cleaner.

I glanced at the screen as I was attempting to break into the CCTV system. The agent had managed to sneak round the security gate and was making his way to a staff entrance.

"Keep an eye out for any cleaning staff, their uniform will disguise you from the recognition system as long as you don't show your face."

I had gotten used to not being responded to when I spoke, there was always an element of trust doing this job. The security system was proving a tough cookie, as I knew it would; I was making slow but steady progress carefully breaking down each firewall and secure login as I found them. A movement on the screen caught my eye and I watched quietly as the agent subdued a lone cleaner who had come out for a smoke on his break.

 _Okay,_ I thought as he put on the unconscious man's uniform, _Step one complete._ He would have an easier time walking around the building now, but I still needed to gain control of the CCTV. He walked to the staff entrance door and held the cleaner's security card to the scanner to get in.

"Well done. Daniels' office is located on the top floor. There are biometric scanners to get to it, so we are going to need to find a different way in." I wasn't 100% sure on what that way would be yet, so doubled my efforts on getting into the system while keeping an eye on events unfolding on the screen.

Getting into that security system was like battling a laser maze; slow and steady was the key but I had to get it in time without tripping the alarms. My forehead started to bead sweat with the mental exertion. I had been practicing for two days solid and it was still proving harder than I first thought. If I didn't manage this not only was getting to Daniels going to be infinitely harder, getting the data was going to prove impossible.

After firewall three hundred it felt like, the laptop suddenly produced a split screen showing multiple CCTV camera views from around the building. I let my breath out in a rush, finally. A feeling of pride burned in my chest, but I couldn't revel in my small victory for long. Quickly I linked the laptop to two larger screens in front of me so I could keep an eye on the cameras whilst still delving into the system further.

Focusing on the agent's progress I could see he had made his way to a lift. None of the cameras he had past had been triggered so it appeared the uniform plan was working. There were ten floors in the building; Daniels was on the tenth but to access it you had to do a retinal scan. I assumed only select security and Daniels himself were on the system for that.

"You may need to find a security guard to access the upper floor, I don't think I can fool the system into letting you up." I watched as the agent selected the ninth floor and the doors slid shut. I began to switch my gaze between the security cameras and the POV of the agent. The ninth floor had a number of security guards patrolling, as well as members of staff. There may be an opportunity there; one of the things that I found hard about this job was sometimes being unable to assist any longer. I knew the agents were as highly trained as I had been, but it still knotted my stomach having to watch them risk themselves.

The agent scouted the ninth floor, looking for an easy target. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, we needed a retinal scan and there were a number of ways to get it. Some more gruesome than others. So far the CCTV had not picked up on the intruder, which was a plus, things might change on the top floor. The agent paused as a guard made his way towards the lift. This may be the chance we needed. The guard waited for the doors to slide open then stepped in; quickly the agent followed behind and before the guard could register what was happening his head was slammed into the now closed doors of the lift.

I watched the security system carefully as on the lift's CCTV the agent held up the guard's now prone body and placed his face against the scanner. I could see the agent was a man of average height, average build basically average everything. He blended in well; no one would have looked at him twice. Holding the guard's eye open, the scanner beeped for a few seconds and I held my breath. _Please let this guy have clearance_ , I thought as the suspense built with each beep of the machine.

After what seemed like a millennium, the scanner stopped and the lift groaned into life as it rose to the next floor.

"Excellent work. The security up here is going to be tighter and your uniform is no longer going to be useful. I'll keep you informed as to where the cameras are, just keep your face hidden." The agent responded by donning the guard's clothes; it was the best option, people would be suspicious of a cleaner on the top floor.

The lift juddered to a halt and the doors opened to reveal an open plan penthouse style office. There were only two places that were private; a bathroom and an enclosed office space for Daniels. Guards were stationed around the floor, large windows all around let in what would have been a view if it weren't in a hangar, but powerful lights obscured its unusual setting and lit the inside. Daniels himself was holding court in the middle of the room, talking loudly into a phone.

"It's getting goddamn, fucking ridiculous I tell you. This was meant to be finished last week." He paced back and forth, looking down as he berated whoever was on the other end of that call. "The update is essential in maintaining our image as the lead in Internet services. If it isn't done by close of play today, I will personally come down there and code it myself and then I'll fire you. Is that clear?" There was a heavy pause as he waited for the response.

"Good, make sure you do." Without saying goodbye he hung up and ran a hand through his hair.

The agent watched the display from inside the lift; as soon as Daniels was finished he quietly walked out keeping himself to the walls.

"Good, there are cameras all around this room. The walls are your best bet."

I looked at the security cameras; the two best places to do the job were in the bathroom or office, obviously. Enclosed and private places would make hiding the body easier. I chewed on my lip nervously as I ran through my options. Not only did we need to kill Daniels, the information I had to acquire was on the system. I could get so far now I had hacked into it, however the data was behind an authentication wall which you needed a numerical password to access. The password changed every minute, and no software I had would be able to crack the billions of possible combinations in time before it changed. I was 99% sure Daniels had a key on him that displayed the code, changing every minute.

As I was running through my plan the agent was waiting patiently for me to issue my next instruction. Daniels had now stormed into his private office, leaving the agent alone in the room with six security guards. None of them had noticed the new arrival due to the scene their boss had made as he came in. Now a few of them closest to him were giving him glances, obviously suspicious.

"Try and find a way into Daniels' office, he's alone in there." I confirmed this with a quick glance at the CCTV. The target was now glaring at his laptop, engrossed in what he was doing. No security were in there with him.

"Hey you, I haven't seen you before." One of the guards was talking to the agent. My blood froze as I watched him approach.

"I'm new here. Started today, came to give the boss a message from downstairs."

The guard frowned, not wholly convinced. "Why didn't they just ring up? And since when did newbies get access to the tenth floor on their first day?"

"I'm ex-military, they thought I'd be a good addition to the detail up here. Also, this message is best given in person. Bosses' ears only and all, never know who's listening in." The lie came smoothly and confidently, and I couldn't help but remember the easy way Tobias used to lie to me. My stomach tightened uncomfortably, this was not the time to start thinking about that man.

The guard paused for a moment, clearly judging whether he bought the story or not. Eventually he nodded slowly and indicated for the agent to go ahead to the office.

"Okay, but be careful newbie, the boss is in a fowl mood today." I grinned as the agent moved and the door to Daniels' office got bigger in my screen.

"Keep your head down now, make sure none of the cameras get a look at your face." I monitored the CCTV as he moved across the room. So far so good, none of them could get a lock on his features so no alarms. We were so close; the agent reached the door and knocked confidently.

"What?!" Daniels bark travelled through the heavy wooden door.

"Mr Daniels I have a message from downstairs, it's about the update." I smiled, well done.

"What? Okay come in." The agent opened the door and entered Damien Daniels' private office. The man was looking down at his laptop still, as he entered but he looked up when the door shut softly behind. His expression was irritable, anger barely concealed below the surface.

"Well, what is it then? Why they couldn't have rung I don't know." The agent said nothing; he slowly reached into the security guard uniform he was wearing, where I knew his silenced ICA issue pistol was holstered.

"Cat got your tongue? What's the message you moron?" In one swift, practiced movement the agent drew his pistol and shot Damien straight in the forehead. The target collapsed, the only oddity of a test scenario was there was never any blood. The agent strode round to the 'dead' body and I turned my attention to the laptop next to me.

Firstly, I disabled the camera in the office, I could only do it for a short period of time before the system detected my violation and went into lockdown. I then got to the secure login screen for Daniels' personal data.

"Search his body, he should have a numerical key on him." After a moment the agent straightened up and produced a small grey plastic fob with an LCD display. There was a six-digit number, and I hurriedly typed it into the login screen. The laptop screen switched to show a desktop with files neatly organised on each side. I grinned and started searching through the data for the surveillance program. I found it in a file labeled 'Weeping Angel' and downloaded it onto the laptop.

"I'm done, good work. You need to find an exit now." I waited for the agent to hide the body in a large cupboard in the room. As soon as I was sure he was done, I backed out of Daniels' personal login and reestablished the camera in the office. The agent exited and walked calmly round the edge of the room, back to the lifts. The guard that had let him in nodded in acknowledgment as the agent stepped into the lift and pressed the ground floor button.

The unconscious security guard was still wedged against the wall as he descended, he changed back into the cleaner uniform to evade the cameras downstairs. I was practically bouncing on my seat as he walked out of the building and located a delivery truck parked round the back. He walked up to the 'End mission' button and pressed it.

The screen went black and I punched the air. That had gone as well as it could have; now I just had to wait for the verdict. The excitement at completing a mission faded as I realised what was at stake here. I thought I had done enough, but I wasn't sure. Turning in my chair I looked at the mirror behind me. No voice came over the speakers today, I could almost hear them talking about me.

I sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, my brain going over what I could have done differently.

"Well done initiate, that was an impressive display." The voice of Director Mahone made me jump as it crackled over the speakers. "I have no problem in clearing you for field duty. Congratulations codename Peregrine."

...

"Well done." Diana hugged me, taking me aback as she had never done so before. "That was brilliant, you really have learnt everything I can teach you now."

I smiled at my mentor as she went to sit behind her desk. She had called me to her office once I had had a chance to calm down, but despite my best efforts my nerves were still jangling with adrenaline.

I had done it; I was officially an active handler. Now a great sense of the unknown overwhelmed me; I had no idea what to expect from now on. Diana smiled kindly at me as she clasped her hands in front of her on the desk. It was very reminiscent of the first time we had met.

"So you're probably asking yourself, what happens next?" I nodded, excitement gripping me. She picked up a file sat on the side of her desk and slid it towards me. "Usually a handler would be required to seek out their own agent to be partnered with once they complete training themselves. That is how I started."

I nodded again; I was familiar with the story of Diana and the infamous 47. The agency had done an excellent job in concealing the identity of this particular agent, judging by how much everyone talked about him in Headquarters.

"However, both myself and Director Mahone agree that you can take on a different challenge." Frowning I tried to decipher what Diana meant by that. Why was I not choosing my own agent? She registered my confusion and tapped the file. "You're being partnered with an existing agent Peregrine. One who has years of experience, but has never truly found his feet here, shall we say." She smiled a small, knowing smile, but I wasn't in on the joke.

"He is capable, but lacks the natural instinct of a lot of our agents. We want to see if you can change that. Your test was extraordinarily hard by normal standards, we wanted to push your special skills to the limit."

"I thought that was the case." I said simply, bringing the file closer to me.

"It is your ace in the hole Peregrine. Never forget that. It is what sets you apart from others handlers here, and is one of the reasons you were selected." I winced slightly, as visions of me guiding Tobias through my old work's servers came flashing back. I focused on my hands resting on the manila file as I formed a question I had been dying to ask for months now.

"Diana?" I was sure I already knew the answer but I had to try. "Is he ok?" I slowly lifted my eyes back to my mentor; she was looking at me with a neutral expression but I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"You know I can't divulge too much to you." She paused, knowing exactly who I was talking about. "All you need to know is that our mutual friend is still active and very well." I dropped my eyes back down to the file, nodding mutely. I expected as much, the agency weren't going to compromise one of their agents just to placate me. I still couldn't stop hoping I would run into him again though.

"All in good time Peregrine." My head snapped up. Diana was giving me a small smile; it was like she had read my mind.

"What do I do now then?" I asked, pushing thoughts of Tobias back down.

"You can live wherever you want now, you don't have to stay here. Although I would recommend you keep contact with your loved ones to a minimum I'm afraid. It's safer." A bubble of sadness welled up inside me, I did miss my friends and family awfully, but I had made a choice.

"When your agent has been assigned a contract, we will contact you with the details. It'll be up to you to get in touch with him and give him any intel he may need. As well as obviously assisting in the field." Her smile widen. "It's been a pleasure teaching you Peregrine, and I am always here if you need me." I smiled back at her; I was going to miss her too.

I looked down at my agent's file and slowly opened it to reveal a document of his personal information, there was a photo attached to it. I did a double take at the unassuming man's face. It was the agent who had helped me with my test, I recognised his short brown hair and plain features. I grinned, so at least this guy knew what I sounded like. I scanned the rest of his info; average height, weight, I focused in on his name.

Carlton Smith. Agent Smith.

I closed the file and stood up. "Thank you Diana for everything. I hope I do you proud." She nodded.

"I'm sure you'll do great things Peregrine, happy hunting."


	11. Chapter 11

Part 3 – A New Life

Chapter 11

"I do enjoy these brief meetings Perry."

Carlton smiled, I couldn't see his face fully but I could see the corners of his mouth turn up from the angle I was at. We were stood in a busy train station leaning against a pillar on the edge of the giant terminus. We were on opposite sides, so as not to appear together, but were both facing out so we could hear and just about see each other.

I had my arms folded and an impassive expression as I replied, "You know I only do it when I really have to." I saw him shift slightly and look down at his phone.

"You love it." I couldn't help but smile at his cheekiness. It had been four months since I had passed the handler initiation test, and I had grown to like Carlton Smith a lot. It was frowned upon to have any kind of relationship with one's agent, but I found we worked better knowing a bit about each other. We were partners after all.

We had completed a number of contracts together now, Carlton had a habit of being a tiny bit clumsy and too confident for his own good, but gradually he was starting to listen to me more. We were being given harder and harder assignments as the agency picked up on his improving success rate. I was also become more and more adept at infiltrating our targets online as well.

Slowly I pushed a laptop bag towards him with my foot. It was the reason we were meeting in person; I had only done this a few times since starting with him but occasionally I liked to give him intel face to face. Some of the stuff I did to complete our contracts was a little too risky to send through the ICA's system. I didn't want to accidently wipe out all their data, it wouldn't go down too well I felt. He didn't acknowledge the bag moving closer but I knew he had registered it.

"The virus is on there, all you need to do is switch it with our target's laptop and it should wipe out his operations like the client has requested." I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. We were due to complete this one tonight; it was a little closer to my base as I would have liked but it was a simple enough job that it shouldn't attract too much attention.

"The plan is to complete tonight. I'll look forward to hearing your dulcet tones Perry." He had started calling me Perry pretty early on in our partnership, his excuse that Peregrine was too much of a mouthful. I knew a lot of the senior operatives weren't a fan, created too much of a friendly relationship but I didn't mind. I kind of liked the nickname.

I grinned as I pushed off from the pillar and walked away from the agent without looking back. I needed to get to my base to prepare. I had decided to move back into London. The city was a logical place to base myself; it was a main artery to a powerful part of the world and big enough to disappear easily. I had used my generous salary to actually buy a place there, but nothing too big. Just a modest, newly built flat on the outskirts of Stratford.

Occasionally I saw Helen and Andy around, I liked to keep an eye on them. They didn't know I was back in the country, and it was safer to keep it that way. I sometimes felt a twinge of sadness as I watched my best friend meeting other people without me, but I didn't want to risk dragging her into my volatile world.

I weaved my way through the crowd of St Pancreas Station, staying alert of my surroundings. Since taking this job I had become a lot more paranoid, being hired by a previously unknown organisation and discovering there was a lot the average person didn't know can do that to you.

I made my way towards a train to Stratford, as I excused myself through the throng of commuters I froze as I saw a figure watching me from the shadows of the station. It was only for a second and when I stopped to focus on them they had slipped away, but I had been sure what I had seen.

It had been him, Tobias. At least my body was reacting like it had been, my heart was pounding in my chest and I felt like I couldn't breath. The man had been hard to see in the side of my vision, but it had been the eyes that had given him away, unnaturally bright blue eyes glinting at me from the shadows. I had been seeing him, or at least thinking I had, for a while now. I kept telling myself I was being stupid and needed to get a grip, it had been almost a year now since I had last seen him but I couldn't stop thinking about him lately. The more I knew about this job and what he did, the more I kept replaying our short week together. I had been clueless and very stupid.

I was still staring at the empty space where he had been, without thinking I walked over to the wall where he had been standing watching me. Had it been him? Was I just going mad? There was no trace of him; well of course there wouldn't be. If it was really him he would easily have eluded me and if it was my imagination, well daydreams didn't tend to leave clues. I was beginning to doubt my certainty a minute ago when something shiny by my foot caught my eye. I bent down and picked up a silver coin, it wasn't any currency I knew and I turned it over, frowning.

My heart picked up when I saw the insignia stamped on the side of it. A crown with the words, 'Merces Letifer' below it; this was one of our coins, that we gave to agents to distract targets. It had been him; I gripped the coin tightly and quickly walked towards my train. A small smile playing across my lips.

...

"Good evening Agent Smith." I adjusted the headset as I arranged my intel files around me.

"Evening Perry." I rolled my eyes, he wasn't meant to reply but nothing Carlton did was by the book.

"Your target is retired hitman Francis Strong. He is appears to have a sedate and mundane life but the truth is far from this. Masquerading as a common security guard, he is selling intel on his previous clients and blackmailing many powerful people. Needless to say this also threatens us, our client wants us to silence him for good and erase all the data he has collected against his former employers. Be careful agent, although he is retired he was a formidable assassin in his prime, and probably still has a nasty bite."

"You worry about me too much. I've got one thing he hasn't."

I sighed at Carlton's interruption to my briefing. "What is that then?"

"You of course." I could hear the smile in his voice and I shook my head.

"Very good, but let's not get too cocky. This guy is a nasty piece of work when he wants to be. Do you have the laptop?"

The POV camera tilted down to show the bag I had passed to Carlton earlier resting by his feet.

"Keep it safe. I won't be able to destroy the data any other way." He picked up the bag and straightened up. He was outside a factory complex, it was late evening now and the street was dark. Orange street lamps lit the pavement and a few workers on the night shift were trudging into the massive building. The target was scheduled to be patrolling the offices above the factory floor tonight. There was a small security guard office up there too where he would be taking his breaks and where his laptop with the encrypted information would be kept.

By all appearances this seemed a fairly straightforward hit; however I had learnt in my short span in this job not to assume anything. Carlton moved off towards the security gate; I knew Francis wasn't assigned there tonight. I got to work preparing to access the factory's security. This was slightly different to my usual approach; the factory had no intranet so I had given Carlton a dongle we would have to insert into the system himself. Just like old times.

I looked up at the main screen, Carlton had slipped past the perimeter guard and was moving swiftly towards the massive factory building. Shifting in my seat, I waited patiently for him to enter. Over time I found it easier to let Carlton do the majority of the work, at the start he had been a bit wobbly. Years of being captured and failing had left him unsure and a little beaten, but slowly after we had completed a number of contracts together I had seen the change in him. He was still a little clueless, and with my inexperience it made me uneasy when we were given hits like this, but we worked well as a team and he trusted me.

He made his way down a corridor now towards a stairway that led into the maintenance room. As was the norm I had sent him the blueprints for the building a week ago so he could get his bearings. I had a copy next to me in case he needed guidance, but he moved confidently downstairs and quickly picked the lock to the maintenance room.

The cameras in this factory were few and far between; it was probably why Francis had chosen this place to work. Lots of privacy at night. Carlton took out the dongle I had given him and held it up waiting for my instruction.

"Ok Perry, where does this go?"

"There should be an access panel in the wall to your left." He turned and I saw the place I meant. "There."

He made light work getting the panel off, I took in the exposed wires for a moment trying unravel the one I needed.

"Ummmmm…the blue wire there, in the center." He reached in and gently extracted it. "Ok, you're going to need to cut and strip it to attach the USB adapter."

I had talked him through this before, but my mouth still went dry as I watched him cut, strip and rewire the loose end to the USB adapter the dongle was lodge in. One false move and the alarms would be triggered. I didn't necessarily need to get into the security system here, but I always felt that little bit safer having control of it. It made my agent's life easier as well, and anything that elevated a little stress from the job they did could only be good.

Carlton fumbled once or twice, but the dongle was in place finally. My laptop pinged as it signaled a device trying to access it. I clicked 'OK' and the familiar split screen of CCTV cameras appeared.

"I'm in." I announced, quickly scanning through the sparse cameras on the site. There was one labeled second floor and I caught a glimpse of a security guard patrolling.

"Target is on the second floor."

Carlton turned on his heels and exited the maintenance room. I watched him intently, with any luck we could be in and out within an hour. There were no other guards in the building; something didn't sit quite right with me about this. An ex-hitman leaving himself this exposed; sure he wasn't one of ours but still…the whole thing made me restless.

He had reached the second floor and was already making a bee-line for the small security office on the floor. I was hoping Francis had just started his patrol and wouldn't be returning any time soon. I hadn't seen him on any of the other cameras yet.

"Agent Smith, any sign of the target?" I wouldn't usually interrupt, but I couldn't stop the uneasiness that was threatening to take me over. Carlton slowed slightly, before answering in barely a whisper, "No."

That was what I was worried about. He had reached the security office; it was empty. Without hesitation Carlton walked in and set about replacing Francis' personal laptop with the exact copy I had given him. He was a good agent but he had a nasty habit of barreling into places without any caution. The best agents never left anything to chance. I blew into my cheeks in frustration at my gun-ho agent, and kept a sharp eye on the security cameras on this floor.

"Do I take his laptop?"

Without breaking my gaze with the cameras I replied curtly. "Yes" He was almost done when I saw the tiniest movement on one of the cameras near the room. My hackles rose instantly; it was Francis edging quickly along the wall to stay out of the camera's view. He knew we were here.

"Agent Smith hide, now!" The urgency in my voice triggered something in Carlton, without a moment's thought he stowed the target's laptop in the bag and quickly hid in a nearby storage unit. Just as he softly shut the metal door concealing him, Francis walked into the room.

I felt a moment of pride as I saw through the gap in the unit that Carlton had placed my decoy laptop exactly as the target had left it. He was a lean, unassuming man with a pinched face and glasses perched on his nose. He was the opposite of what most people would think a hitman looked like; I knew better. He was the perfect person, hidden in plain site no one would think twice about him killing someone.

His bird like eyes flicked around the room before settling on the laptop. Slowly and deliberately he walked around the desk and sat down in front of it. My heart was in my mouth as he seemed to look right at Carlton's hiding place; he stared for what seemed like an age at the storage unit before finally opening the laptop. I saw him grit his teeth in frustration as my 'System Warning' message popped up as planned. It would tell him the laptop had shut down unexpectedly and returned to safe mode. It was the easiest way for me to explain why his desktop wouldn't match his actual laptop.

I heard him clicking away furiously as he installed all his settings back to the way he had them. Then a grin spread across my face as he did exactly what I wanted him to do next. He got up and check outside the room for any other guards trying to pay him a visit, satisfied he was alone he sat back down and produced a dongle of his own from his pocket.

So this guy wasn't completely stupid, he hid his IP like I did when surfing a part of the Internet he shouldn't be. The ICA knew Francis kept his information on a server in the deep web, and I knew the only way to safely get rid of it was to get the target to access it himself and spread my virus. I could tell Carlton was watching him as closely as me as he began typing in his login. I bit my lip, I hadn't moved for a good ten minutes; it felt like I was the one hiding in that room with him.

Once he had logged in that would be it, the virus I had hidden on the laptop would act fast and erase every trace of the incriminating information online. Sure enough Francis' eyes widen as he stared at the laptop screen, he brought his hands down hard on the desk making me jump. Carlton didn't move a muscle, those years of experience finally paying off.

"I think it worked." I whispered into his ear. My jubilant mood was soon cut short though as Francis suddenly looked straight ahead, his face a picture of calm.

"You think you've won do you?" He was speaking to no one that I could see, just staring ahead his voice a monotone, a slight German accent to it. My stomach knotted in fear, what was he doing?

"I'm not an idiot, I know you're there." He slowly got up, his sudden rage completely evaporated. "Why don't we settle this like men, eh?" I saw him reaching into a draw in the desk and pull out something metallic. I was helpless, only able to watch as Francis moved swiftly over to the storage unit and yank the door open.

Carlton stumbled out, the spontaneity of the attack taking him by surprise. He straightened up to look at his target, who was now holding a silenced pistol to his head. I could only see Francis' calm expression, as he looked the agent up and down.

"You're not the first to come after me you know, but you're certainly the one that's got the closest."

"You're making a mistake." Carlton's voice sounded confident, but I could hear a small tremor in it. He was cornered and he knew it.

"Am I?" Francis narrowed his eyes at Carlton. "Who do you work for then?" Carlton didn't respond. Francis curled his lip at the agent's silence, before drawing the pistol back and cracking Carlton in the face with the butt of it. I heard the metal connect with his flesh, and winced as my agent huffed in pain. "Come on now, don't be shy. They aren't going to begrudge you having a little chat with me before you die."

The shock of the situation finally began to ware off, and I turned my attention to the CCTV system I had up on my laptop.

"Urgh. Fine, it doesn't matter if you know. The ICA sent me." I cursed under my breath, what was he doing? I swear, this guy made my job ten times harder. I furiously looked through the factory security, what could I get to from here. I had CCTV, alarms, fire safety devices. I stopped; fire safety. Patching together a plan I continued to type as I spoke to Carlton in a calm, if slightly annoyed, voice.

"I'm going to turn on the sprinklers Agent Smith. Get ready." I glanced at the screen to see if the situation had changed. It hadn't; except Francis was grinning from ear to ear.

"The ICA? Well fuck me sideways. I finally attracted the big boys." His grin turned sinister. "I'm not too upset with you deleting all my bargaining chips now. Not when I've got an ICA agent I can squeeze for info." His voice had taken on a menacing edge; I could see the hitman in him starting to come out.

"Let's start with the easy stuff, who's your handler?"

 _Shit,_ I sped up my efforts to isolate the sprinklers and trick them into activating. There was the sound of another blow as Francis hit Carlton again.

"Who's your fucking handler?" I wasn't overly concerned about the question, after all that was what codenames were for. I was more concerned with what this man was going to do to my agent; the agency didn't take kindly to handlers who let their assets die.

"Nearly there Carlton." I never used his first name, but I was highly stressed out currently and protocol was low down on my list.

"Go to hell. You know who I work for, even if I tell you who my handler is, it isn't going to help you. Might as well just let me go, it's in your best interests."

Francis laughed, it was a cruel sound, "Oh no my friend, you're going nowhere. I need to send a message…you understand."

Francis' face was deadly; he was going to shoot.

"We understand…dickhead." I hissed as I pressed enter on my keyboard.

Several things happened at once; the sprinkles burst into life above the men's heads, Francis looked up at the offending source of the sudden downpour, taking his eyes off Carlton. He took the momentary lapse in his aggressor's attention to plant a well-aimed upper cut to Francis' chin. The target staggered back with the impact, his eyes wide with shock. Before he could gather himself again Carlton pulled _his_ silenced pistol from his jacket in one fluid movement and shot Francis between the eyes.

A spray of blood shot out the back of his head, his face permanently stuck in a state of confusion and shock as he slid to the floor with a thump. In the distance I could hear men shouting before a harsh ringing echoed throughout the building.

"Thanks Peregrine." Carlton sounded breathless.

"Save it for later, get out now. Don't forget the laptops." I was probably more abrupt than I was intending to be, but I was still very aware we weren't in the clear yet. Carlton shoved my decoy laptop in the bag with Francis' original and bolted for the door. The coast was still clear but we could hear the sound of heavy boots advancing.

Carlton ran back down the stairs; a feat not made easier by the torrent of water now flooding them. At the bottom he joined a throng of late shift workers trying to escape the freezing shower. He kept his head down and matched their speed; his suit and laptop bag helping him to blend in. A gang of security guards dashed past towards the stairs searching for the imaginary fire. They wouldn't find one; they would find a dead security guard though and we needed to be at a safe distance when they did.

The exit was ahead and Carlton slipped out with the other workers. Before they could cotton on to the unfamiliar addition to their work force, he quietly stepped into the shadows of the factory building as they jogged off towards the fire checkpoint. Looking around to make sure no one was around to witness his escape, he ran and scaled the chain link fence surrounding the factory. He landed nimbly on the other side and walked briskly off into the night.

"That was a close one, wasn't it Perry?" His voice was high with adrenaline; I rubbed my face with my hand.

"Let's not do that again Smith. Next time take your time and listen to me."

"Aye, aye captain." He answered cheekily before the screen went black.

Mission complete.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/U: So I want to say a massive thank you to Althea for reviewing my last chapter, it means a lot and spurs me on. All I'll say is your patience will pay off :)**

Chapter 12

 _Who are you? How did you find me?_

 _Easy. Too easy really. I suggest you delete your account on this disgusting website and go home to pack your bags. Your wife wants you gone by midday._

 _And what if I don't?_

 _If you don't then I'll release all the messages you've been sending to underage girls on here to your work, to your friends, to your family….you get the idea._

 _Fine_

I leant back in my chair satisfied with the result of my latest crusade online. A young woman was convinced her husband and father of her child was cheating on her with someone online. She had asked me to find out the truth. I had done just that, but the truth was nastier than she thought. The man was cheating alright; with minors on an underground website for perverts like him. He had been messaging girls for months while his wife took care of their newborn daughter in another room.

It was scum like this that made this hobby of mine worthwhile. I shut down my computer and quickly messaged the woman; nothing graphic just that she was right and he was making himself scarce. Ordinary people didn't need to know the depths to which humanity could sink; I for one knew enough of that for everyone else.

I tried to stifle a yawn; I had been up for nearly 24 hours completing our latest contract. It was now a year since I had signed up to be a handler in the agency; my old life didn't feel like it belonged to me anymore. When I thought about it, it was like I was watching a film of someone else's life. My brief phone calls with my parents, who had moved to Italy now, were the only link I had to who I used to be. Even my old name sounded alien when they spoke it.

It could be described as lonely my life now, I didn't have friends outside of work like a normal person. Helen still chatted with me online, unaware I was only a half an hour train ride from her. My days were consumed by my job, if I wasn't assisting Agent Smith in a contract, I was gathering intel or reporting back to headquarters about our latest hit. The underground website I had set up during training was busy as well; word had got around about my services and I usually had one or two requests a day now. I chose the ones I felt needed the most help, it made me feel like I was doing a bit of good in this corrupt world I was now a part of.

My phone interrupted my thoughts; I had a new message from work.

 _New assignment, target is Gregory Thomas, a powerful US government official with links to an underground hacker group. Client has requested Agent Smith and yourself by name, not confirmed but may be responsible for several multimillion-dollar companies' having their personal information leaked. Client request kill looks like an accident. Pursue with caution, deadline 20_ _th_ _November._

I raised my eyebrows at the scale of this assignment. So far we had been given relatively low security jobs; it was the norm, only a few agents were capable of the high level hits. As much as I trusted Carlton he was not one of those agents.

I did a quick search on Gregory Thomas on my phone; member of the US government in charge of cyber security, of course. Ex CIA agent, lovely, and had just passed a bill to allow the government access to citizens social media accounts. I sat down in my living room slowly; I wasn't sure we were up to this. The 20th was in two weeks time as well, this would be a mammoth contract to prepare.

"I need to sleep first." I spoke to the phone as if my work could hear me. Maybe they could, I didn't really know what their limits were to be honest. Putting the phone down I dragged myself to my bedroom and hid under the duvet before falling into a dreamless sleep.

...

"We're up Smith, this one's a biggy. I'm sending you the information now, I'll be honest this almost seems impossible. Gregory Thomas is a high profile hit and you need to make it look like an accident."

"That isn't really my style Perry." I sighed, I had been stressing about this contract constantly for two days now. After gathering a butt ton of information on our target I was unsure why the agency was letting us do this. Sure the client had requested us, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Carlton wasn't the best agent and I was inexperienced by any standards; it didn't sit right with me that we had been given a Gamma level contract out of the blue.

"I know, but the agency trust us enough to assign us so they must know something we don't." Carlton was quiet for a moment, I could almost hear him thinking.

"They should have given this to 47, not me. Peregrine, do you think someone is setting us up?"

The thought hadn't really occurred to me until he said it. My body went cold as the scenario began to make sense.

"I'm not sure. I can't see why the agency would do that to us, but I don't know who the client is." My brain was working in over-drive trying to piece together what little evidence I had. The agency never divulged who had performed a hit unless requested by the client who had activated it, so I couldn't think of anyone who wanted to exact revenge. The best plan I could see was to play along; we would complete the contract.

"We're going to move ahead with this Agent Smith. Read what I have sent you and I'll be in contact once I've found a way in."

"Perry, are you sure about this?"

"It'll be fine, we've not failed one so far and I'm not about to start. I'll leave you to prepare."

I ended the call, the confidence in my voice only a façade hiding the growing panic inside me. I didn't know if this was a trap or not, but I was determined we were going to complete the contract.

I had managed to hack into the CIA's intranet; this time for longer than a minute. I was chewing my lip nervously, the blue glare from the computer screen making my eyes squint. Flicking rapidly through the pages of data I scanned for our target's name in the ex-agents list. All my searching so far had gathered only a superficial persona of the man we were hunting; a media image he wanted the world to see but I knew there was more to him.

It was the day of the deadline on the contract, and after fishing around I knew why we had been set a limit. Thomas was due to announce the passing of his bill through congress tomorrow, after which all US citizens' social media and messaging would be legally monitored. I had agreed with Carlton we would perform the hit tonight. It was risky, as he would be staying late in the government buildings around congress in Washington DC. There had been no other opportunity before that; this man kept his security airtight.

The CIA intranet was my last port of call to try and fish out any helpful information before we embarked on this suicide mission. I kept my confident act up when speaking to Carlton; I didn't want him to know I was anything but optimistic about our chances tonight.

Gregory Thomas' profile popped up finally on my screen. I had been searching for about five minutes now and I guessed it wouldn't be long before they became aware of my presence in here. There were the usual stats; height, age, weight. I scrolled down searching for any info on his past.

 _Agent Thomas showed a heightened interest in cyber terrorism. He quickly rose through the ranks displaying an aptitude for locating hackers and advancing cyber security for the intranet._

I snorted; he'd done a good job with that clearly.

 _Later in his career he became obsessed with tracking down the hacker group 'Anonymous' but never succeeded. He eventually felt his progress would be helped by becoming a government official and left the agency to pursue a career in politics._

Interesting, so this guy was after Anonymous. Even I knew that was virtually impossible, they were everywhere. Was this the underground hacking group he had connections with? The information wasn't really helpful to our contract, but I still wanted to figure out why we had been selected to take this guy out. My gut said this had something to do with it.

There was nothing else of note on his profile and my time was pretty much up here. I quickly withdrew from the CIA's site and sat back in my chair. The Autumn sunshine was beginning to fade through the window. I glanced at my watch; it was nearly 6 here, seven hours to go. I felt strangely detached from what we were doing as it was happening in America. I had done contracts in Europe mainly, this was the first time it was going to be so long distance.

I decided to go for a walk; I wasn't going to be able to sleep before the job as my nerves were already building in anticipation. I got up and donned my coat before walking out of my apartment complex. The evening was cold, winter was starting to raise is head in London.

Stratford was relatively quiet in comparison to the center of the city; I liked that about it. I was walking round the old Olympic park site, there were a few cafes and restaurants around here now but I liked the open space that they had left here. Devoid of tourists and spectators, it had an eery quiet that I found peaceful. I still missed the green and trees of the countryside where I grew up, but this was an okay substitute.

I was walking at a steady pace, my hands in my pockets to keep them from freezing. I was holding the coin I had found in St Pancreas in one of my pockets. I turned it over as I walked, the feel of it comforting me, taking my mind off tonight.

I was so absorbed in my own thoughts, that I only noticed the man standing in my way when I was nearly on top of him. I came to an abrupt halt, my expression annoyed, about to chastise him even though it was me who hadn't been looking where I was going. I froze instead when I finally registered who was blocking my path.

"You really should pay more attention to your surroundings."

Memories of the events of a year ago came flooding back at the sound of his calm, monotone voice. He was regarding me coolly, his blue eyes piercing into me. He was an intimidating figure, taller than I remembered him being I could see his red tie poking out from under the black coat he was wearing. Regardless I couldn't help a wide grin spreading across my face at the sight of him.

"Long time no see Tobias." I was more confident than when we had last met; we were colleagues now after all. He didn't react to my jubilant greeting; he merely raised one black eyebrow at me.

"I expected you to be more observant by now." My grin faded and I folded my arms, defensive at his assessment of me.

"You caught me at a bad time. What are you doing here anyway?"

He moved towards me, stopping about a foot away. His closeness after all this time startled me slightly; I didn't know quite where to look.

"I'm here on a contract." My heart skipped a beat momentarily, a wild thought crossing my mind. He must have seen my eyes widen in shock, because his mouth twitched as if suppressing a smile. "It's not you by the way."

I blinked at him, "I know." But even I didn't think I sounded sure. He turned his head to look into the distance, as if he was thinking about other things.

"It's not for a few more days, I'm preparing." I nodded, my confidence returning at the familiarity of the situation. I was in on his world this time, he no longer had the upper hand on me; well, maybe he did a little.

"And you just happened to bump into me. What a coincidence." He returned his steady gaze back to me hearing the sarcasm in my voice.

"I wanted to make sure you were…alright." I gave him an incredulous look.

"Yeah ok, if I remember you're not the sort of person to just come and check on someone for no reason."

The half smile appeared this time, my heart squeezed uncomfortably at the small expression. Stupid heart, shut up.

"I wanted to see what you made of your new career choice. Now that you're finding your feet."

I frowned at him, a sudden nagging thought coming to me. "How did you know I was based here?" The smile faded as he regarded me in silence for a moment.

"I have my sources." I rolled my eyes theatrically at the answer dodging response.

"Ah yes, your sources. I forgot. Well whoever your handler is, tell them from me they're good." His expression didn't change, but I thought I saw a glint of humour in his eyes.

"You've been making quite a name for yourself, I've heard you've worked miracles on Agent Smith."

I smiled at the mention of my accident-prone agent. "He still has his moments, but I like him." The stress of the imminent contract suddenly rushed back to me. I looked down at my feet and automatically clutched the coin in my pocket again, anchoring myself. "I can't stay here too long."

Tobias seemed to sense my sudden unease and took a step back, giving me room to breathe. "I know. It'll be ok."

My head snapped up at his comment. "You shouldn't know about my contract. What's the point in all this secrecy if you know everything anyway?" The anger that flared up took me by surprise; Tobias didn't react as usual his face impassive, if anything that made me angrier.

"You came into my life and then just disappeared. Now I'm about to take on something that might get my agent killed, maybe even me, and you appear like a bloody ghost knowing stuff that is meant to be secure intel."

He blinked slowly at my outburst. "I'm sorry."

The simple apology was like a sedative to my rage. It evaporated as if it had never happened; how did he do that, the bastard!

"I was in the city and thought I would see if you were coping okay." He suddenly looked unsure, "I've thought about what I did to you a year ago and just wanted to be sure I did the right thing."

"It's a hard job, but I enjoy it." I stated, giving him a small smile. It was the most vulnerable I had seen him, it scared me more than his usual impassive self.

"Good." He was back to normal, his blue eyes never leaving me. "I think you and Smith will be fine tonight."

I still wasn't 100% happy with him knowing about it, but I accepted the reassurance. He watched me silently for a moment longer then turned and started to walk away. Before he had gone a few steps a thought came to me.

"By the way, thanks for the coin." He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me, his half smile back.

"You're very welcome…Peregrine." There was a smile in his voice as he said my codename, and I couldn't help but grin as he turned and continued to walk away

...

The explosion reverberated in my headset and I had to remove it for a moment to stop my ears from whistling.

"That should be a suitable distraction."

"Well done Perry, I think the whole of Washington heard that one." Carlton was crouched down in an office belonging to some Senator. It was late now in the US and very late, or early depending on how you looked at it, where I was. The only people in the building were our target, along with his beefed up security team and a handful of security guards.

I had whacked the pressure up on one of the building's boilers, causing a controlled explosion downstairs. Oh the joys in the advancement of technology. I swear, when we finally had driverless cars I would be laughing. I could hear footsteps rushing past Carlton's hiding place now, as they went to investigate the threat. It wouldn't have got rid of them all, but it would have reduced the difficulty somewhat.

The corridor outside sounded quiet again; I could hear the bodyguards shouting in the distance. Looking at the CCTV cameras I checked the area outside Carlton's room.

"Coast is clear, target is straight down this corridor. Remember, it has to look like an accident."

"Sure, sure. I've got it." I could tell he was as stressed as I was, so his abruptness didn't offend me. I just wanted him to get out alive. Slowly, Carlton stood up and opened the door to the office. The corridor was eerily quiet now; I found myself holding my breath as if anyone could hear me as he crept along the corridor towards a closed door at the end.

"You got eyes in there?" Carlton whispered. I flicked though the various screens searching for the target's office; I found him with two of his security team stood behind his desk.

"Two bodyguards. That's a bit more manageable." I heard Carlton breath out; I had never heard him this nervous. He had made nail biting progress through the highly secure government building with no one spotting him. I was immensely proud of him so far, and we were almost at the finish line.

"There's a chandelier in that office. If we can get the two guards out that might be a viable option."

Carlton said nothing; he slipped into another empty office to the right and looked around. The whole building was an 18th century antique; the walls were covered in wood paneling and the furniture was heavy, expensive looking stuff. So a chandelier was not out of place at all; this empty office had a large mahogany desk and bookcases like all the others. Carlton was looking for something on their shelves, eventually he picked up a heavy plaster bust and picked his target. I watched fascinated with what he was doing. He threw the bust against the wall that adjoined the target's office; it shattered with an almighty crash on the wood panel.

Carlton ducked behind the large desk and waited patiently. I smiled as I saw the two bodyguards with Gregory exit his office, guns drawn. _Well done_ , I thought, my pride swelling as both bodyguards entered the dark office. Carlton stayed motionless as they stepped further into the room, looking for the source of the noise.

"Anybody in here?"

"Come out now."

They were facing away from Carlton now, inspecting the remnants of the bust scattered about the floor. Silently he walked up behind the nearest one, and slammed a paperweight he had found on the desk down onto the guard's skull. The man dropped, instantly unconscious. Before the other one could register what had happened to his partner, Carlton had wrapped one of his arms around his neck and efficiently subdued him. It was over in seconds; Carlton was a far cry from the agent I had met six months earlier.

He drew his silenced pistol and left the two bodyguards prone on the floor. He paused as he faced Gregory's office door again; I took my cue flawlessly.

"The chandelier is suspended above his desk, he is directly below it."

I gripped Tobias' coin tightly; I had been holding it throughout the whole mission for luck. Carlton walked forward purposefully and opened the office door while aiming his pistol at the chandelier's fitting in one fluid motion. Gregory looked up at Carlton's entrance, his face freezing in fear when he didn't recognize him.

"W-who the hell are you?"

It was the last thing he said, as Carlton fired his pistol at the chain holding the chandelier above his head. There was a muted ping as it broke before the mass of metal and glass crashed down on top of Gregory Thomas. I winced as I heard the sound of bones snapping under the impact.

"Target down, now find an exit Agent Smith."

We were most definitely not in the clear yet; I could already see the bodyguards that had gone down to the basement returning at high speed. They must have been alerted by the sound of the falling light fitting.

"Guards incoming, the corridor is going to be a no go."

Carlton strode round the destruction he had caused towards the window looking out over Lower Senate Park. With a shove he opened the antique window and leaned out.

"Risky, are you sure?" I was holding my breath as Carlton answered me by climbing out onto the ledge outside. The POV camera looked down at the dizzying drop, my head span and I gripped the desk in front of me. I wasn't sure about this at all; Carlton had never shown much athletic ability and I didn't know if he should try it now.

"How many guards Peregrine?"

I glanced at the cameras, "Ten."

"Then I don't think I have a choice." I knew he was right, but I half shut my eyes as he edged himself along the precarious out crop. _Come on, come on._ I repeated the mantra in my head as he turned slowly and gripped onto a cast iron drainpipe and slowly started to lower himself down four floors. The coin's edges bit into my palm as I tensed my hand around it.

I thought he would never reach the ground, but finally he stopped moving down and looked back up to see several of the bodyguards peering out the now open window. The darkness hid Carlton below them and after a moment to collect his thoughts he walked off into the night.

The screen went black and I fell back in my chair. The coin had left an imprint on my hand and I stared at it unable to believe we had completed that contract. My phone gave a shrill ring and I jumped half a mile in the air. I glanced at my watch; it was four in the morning who was ringing me? Gingerly I picked it up, the number was withheld.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice shaking from adrenaline.

"Peregrine, it's Diana." I let my breath out in relief and rested my head in my hand.

"Hello, is everything alright?"

"Yes, well done on completing the Gregory Thomas contract."

"Errr, thanks. But I literally just did it, how did you-"

"I'll explain everything. I need you to get the first flight to Copenhagen, I need to see you." My heart picked up pace. What was going on? Was I in trouble?

"O-ok Diana, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Excellent. I'll see you soon."

The call ended and I slowly put my head on my desk and closed my eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The ICA headquarters stared down at me accusingly. I had absolutely no idea why I had been called here, and I was beginning to have a slight panic attack over it. I had only had about three hours uncomfortable sleep on my desk, before waking with a start at 7am and quickly booking a flight to Denmark. It was now two in the afternoon and I was swaying slightly from weariness.

I made my way into large open atrium; the months I had spent here training felt like yesterday. I knew where I needed to go, but the walk to Diana's office felt the longest it ever had. Why was I here? She didn't usually need to see me in person. My stomach was doing flip-flops as I reached her door. Before I could knock I heard her voice clearly through the wood.

"Come in Peregrine."

I entered her office, my body tensed ready for anything. She was sat behind her desk, hands clasped neatly in front of her as usual. She gave me a small smile as I crept into her office.

"Have a seat." I lowered myself gingerly into the seat opposite her. "Thank you for coming at such short notice Peregrine. It was important I talked to you face to face."

I grimaced as I nervously asked, "Have I done something wrong?"

Relief washed over me as her smile widen, "No, of course not. On the contrary, you are exceeding our expectations Peregrine." For the first time in 24 hours I relaxed, my fear at why I had been summoned quickly being replaced with curiosity.

"Oh ok, so why am I here?" Diana took a moment to collect her thoughts; I felt the beginnings of a rehearsed speech coming.

"You and Agent Smith's performance last night was outstanding," I raised my eyebrows at this remark, had she been watching us? "We didn't tell you this, but myself and Director Mahone were watching the whole thing." This woman certainly had a knack for answering questions I hadn't asked out loud.

"We didn't want to distract you in anyway Peregrine, that's why you were not informed."

"So, you gave us that assignment to test us?" I was hoping I would get the answer I wanted here, the alternative was a lot more sinister.

Diana frowned, "Yes and no." Oh, ok. Not the answer I was hoping for. "We let you both complete the contract, but you were indeed requested by name." My brow furrowed in concentration; there was still something missing from the puzzle with this, but at least it explained why the agency let two Alpha rank operatives take on a Gamma level contract.

Diana watched me take that information in for a moment before continuing. "There's something I need to tell you Peregrine." Her tone was serious and I looked at her with trepidation. "I am officially retiring from the handler program." My eyes widen at the news; but she was one of the best handlers the agency had. "It's been a long time coming, and I don't do it lightly but I am not as young as I used to be and I have other…responsibilities now." She looked away at the last remark, not elaborating any further.

"But who will replace you?" She turned her head back to fix me with her brown eyes.

"I'm not leaving the agency all together. They will need me to manage the training program and over see operations here. But I will no longer be an active handler." She smiled in knowing way. "My agent is an unusual case as I am sure you have heard."

I nodded; the rumours that surrounded Agent 47 were sometimes hard to believe, but nothing was impossible to me now.

"He doesn't age like us, and I doubt he will retire anytime soon. However, I am certainly not like him and I am in need of a break from this life now." There was a sadness in her voice as she spoke; this job was her life, it had to be hard to give it up. I had only just started and I couldn't imagine going back to a normal life now.

She sighed as she reached into a draw on her desk and took out a manila folder. A sense of de-ja-vu struck me as she placed it between us on the desk.

"You've only been here a year Peregrine and you're already excelling as a handler. Last night proved to us that your ready for what I am about to ask of you." My stomach churned worryingly, as the gravity of her words started to sink in.

"Agent 47 is the best we have in the agency, and whoever replaces me as his handler will have a lot of eyes on them. He isn't like anyone else here, and he only takes on the most impossible contracts we receive." She paused here, a sentimental look crossing her face. "But working with him has been one hell of a ride."

She slid the folder towards me, and I could feel my mouth going dry. She leant across the desk all of a sudden and clasped one of my hands.

"Peregrine, I know you will be fine. More than fine. I have seen what you've done with Agent Smith and you've accomplished something no one thought possible. You've become infamous for your computer skills as well, turning the target's base into a weapon against them. Ingenious." She squeezed my hand and withdrew back to her original position.

"Everyone on the board agrees with my choice of replacement," She beamed at me suddenly, "Not least because 47 himself has okayed the decision." My stomach plummeted as a realisation started to form in my head.

I looked down at the folder in front of me and touched it gingerly. Diana's voice started to sound a little distant.

"Peregrine I'd like to officially offer you the change of your assigned agent, from Agent Smith to Agent 47. As well as this we will be promoting you to Gamma rank with immediate effect."

The folder was all I could see now, and I just about summon enough strength in my voice to croak out "I accept."

Without waiting for my mentor's acknowledgement I opened the folder in front of me, and felt the room shift slightly as Tobias' blue eyes stared back up at me.

...

I shifted nervously in the hard plastic seat I was sat in, waiting to meet with my new agent in a busy airport terminal. I had flown back to London, once Diana had given me a chance to recover from the shock of her revelation, and made me sign the official documents assigning me to 47 as his handler. She hadn't told me much else, stating that she would leave the rest of the details to him. I was now sat in the Heathrow arrivals lounge at the request of my agent; he had sent me a short message merely saying:

 _Meet in terminal 5 arrivals_

I had spent time with him in person before, but that had always been as Tobias. I had had no idea who he really was for the entire time I had known him, somehow revealing he was the world's deadliest assassin seemed to change the way I felt about meeting him again. I fiddled with the coin he had given me in my jacket pocket; it had become a talisman lately, a way to channel the nervous energy this job gave me.

It wasn't just the sudden change in my agent that was freaking me out; although I was more than a little sad I wouldn't see Carlton again, I had become quite fond of him. It was also the promotion; being a Gamma rank meant I was going to be taking on the toughest contracts the agency had. No more crooked policemen or retired gangster, now it was government officials and mafia bosses all the way. I had only being doing this job a year, and only been out of training for six months of that. I was convinced Diana would call and say she'd made a mistake any minute now.

As I was slowly descending into a state of utter panic, I became aware of a tall man walking quietly behind me and sitting down in the seat next to me that faced the other way. 47 looked straight ahead and didn't say anything to me. I knew better than to look directly at him, but I still focused my gaze slightly sideways at him. The silence hung between us, I wasn't sure if I should speak first but my initial uncertainty at knowing his real identity began to wear off.

"So, your real name is actually a number." I saw his blue eyes flick to the side as they focused on me. "I should have know you would still be an enigma even when I found out more about you."

His mouth twitched and he redirected his vision to stare off in front of him. "It's the only name I have, I can't help it if you don't like it."

I looked down at my lap trying to stifle a laugh, "I didn't say I didn't like it, just that it was typical of you." We were talking barely louder than a murmur, but his low voice was still clear even with the loud babbling of travellers around us.

"Did Diana tell you much about me?"

"Not really, she said she'd leave the details for you to explain. But I did read your file on the way over." His eyes were back on me; even when they weren't directly looking at me, I could still feel their burning gaze on the side of my head.

"Was it a good read?" There was a note of humour in his voice; I was glad this was all funny to him, it was downright ludicrous to me at the moment.

"It was okay. It wasn't exactly Booker Prize winning, but the part about you being a clone was quite interesting." This time I saw his mouth turn up in a half smile, even his eyes seem to crinkle a little with humor.

"Yes, I suppose that would be interesting." I risked turning my head towards him an inch.

"It didn't say a lot else though." He raised one eyebrow slowly.

"What do you want to know?" This was it, my one and only chance to get to know him more. I had a feeling this was what this meeting was about, after today it would be highly unlikely I would get this close to him again. A million questions I had wanted an answer to in the last year, were suddenly swirling round my brain. After thinking it over for a minute I thought I'd start simple. 47 had been waiting patiently the whole time, his face a blank mask.

"Why did you become a assassin?" This time he turned his head towards me so I could just about see both eyes.

"I was made to be a killer, and when I escaped it was the most logical way to fulfill my purpose without ending up in jail." It saddened me that he thought he only had one purpose in life that someone else had decided for him, but after what I had heard in the agency he was right, he looked like he'd been made for it. He was silent again, waiting for my next question. I didn't know how many I was going to get, so decided to make them count.

"Diana said you don't age, is that right?" He blinked slowly, probably thinking how to word his answer.

"I don't know. It appears I age slower than other people, but I am sure one day I will die of old age. If I get the luxury to in this job." He turned to look me full in the face, and for the first time I noticed I had also turned to face him. "I am almost certain I will leave this world in a violent fashion Peregrine. Therefore, I have never noticed something as trivial as age."

My blood ran cold at his frank words; it was as if for the first time I saw a killer in those ice blue eyes.

"Anything else?" This was my final question, better make it a good one. I sifted through the thousands of times I had imagined talking with him, trying to find the one thing I wanted to know most. Eventually, it just popped out without me thinking.

"Why me?" The question seemed to take 47 by surprise too, as he blinked at me, his expression unsure.

"You were smart, observant and calm under pressure. I knew Diana was planning to step down as my handler and she agreed I should be the one to decide her replacement. I liked you." This time I looked surprised. He turned away from me, breaking the moment.

"I look forward to working with you Peregrine." He was back to business, but I was grateful for the small glimpse I'd had.

"Agent Smith used to call me Perry, he said it was easier." 47 gave me a sideways look.

"Perry?" I shrugged, hearing the judgment in his voice.

"I kind of like it." 47 looked away again, his mouth twitching once more.

"Ok…Perry. Until our first contract together then." He stood up; I had forgotten how graceful he was for a killer. With a small glance down at me he quietly moved away, disappearing in the crowd. I gripped my coin tightly and let a large grin spread across my face.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"That building is huge."

I bit my lip the minute I said it, I had forgotten he could hear me now. My heart was going like a jackhammer; it was our first contract together, and I was very aware that Diana and some of the board were watching my feed.

"Yes, it is tall." I hadn't expected 47 to reply; I just knew he was doing his infuriating half smile as he said it.

"Sorry, I've just never seen anything like it." He was sat in a square in Dubai; the sun was relentless, even I was having to squint. In front of him was a large man-made lake, the dark shadow of the Burj Khalifa slicing across it. It was an impressive structure, the seemingly endless tower of glass glinted in the Arabian sun.

Our target was Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashad, a member of the royal family and wealthy business mogul. Talk about jumping in at the deep end, I hadn't been sure where to start with this guy's bio. He was a notorious playboy; spending his wealth, among other things, like it was going out of fashion. That alone wasn't too unusual, this was Dubai after all, but he was also the patron of an up and coming Internet start up. The company was making a name for itself by providing free Wi-Fi throughout the city, with a different cost. The users of the network were monitored, and their private details recorded. The client, another member of his family, wanted him taken out to prevent him from dishonoring the family with his behavior any longer. The catch; they wanted access to the coding Rashad's company was developing, obviously to monitor Dubai's citizens themselves.

The deceit among humans never failed to amaze me, but a contract was a contract. I had tapped into the target's personal schedule days ago, he wasn't the only one with the power to see all online. A meeting was set for today with a CIA representative, due to the secrecy of their agency it was highly likely Rashad had never seen the man. This was the way in I had suggested to 47.

He was waiting in the square for him now; having hacked into the CIA's system before it was child's play now. After finding the guy assigned to this task, I had dug into his personal emails and discovered the place he was planning to meet Rashad's PA.

"That's him 47." I watched as a man dressed in light linen trousers and a short-sleeved shirt carrying a briefcase, crossed the square. He didn't stand out amid the crowd, I guess that was the point, but I recognised his face from his profile. He came to a stop with his back to us, looking out over the lake towards the Burj Khalifa. 47 stood up and made his way towards the unsuspecting agent, his movement was fluid and effortless. He positioned himself a few feet away from the man, resting on a low stone barrier surrounding the edge of the lake. The CIA agent took out his phone and dialed a number, once he had looked to see if anyone was listening.

"Fields here, I'm at the location awaiting the escort." He paused as the person on the other end barked instructions at him.

"Understood. It's highly unlikely it'll come to that sir, the Sheikh seems willing to comply, at a price of course." As he said this he adjusted his grip on the briefcase he was carrying. "Of course sir, just as planned." He hung up and looked around rubbing his forehead.

"Jeez, I'm cooked. Where can a guy get a drink round here." He clocked a nearby café, busy with tourists and shoppers sat in the shade. Glancing quickly at his watch he made up his mind, and made his way over to it. 47 didn't move as Agent Fields passed him, but I was sure his sights were locked firmly on the man.

As he disappeared inside the café, 47 casually pushed off from the barrier and followed him. I watched as the POV camera struggled to adjust to the dim light of the interior, after the glaring brightness of outside. Agent Fields was by the counter talking to the waiter behind, 47 weaved his way through the jumbled tables surrounded by patrons.

"Just a water please, a large one." 47 kept his distance behind Fields as the waiter fetched his water. The agent fidgeted with the briefcase again, and glanced at his watch repeatedly.

"Thank you." The waiter pushed the large glass of water towards him, and he grabbed it gratefully turning to exit the café. 47 moved to the side as if letting him pass, but right at the last minute he blocked the agent's way. The glass of water sloshed over Field's causing his clothes to be soaked through.

"Look what you did!" The enraged agent glared up at 47 still holding his now nearly empty glass.

"So sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." I smirked at 47's concerned act; he really was a pro. The agent narrowed his eyes at him, ensure whether to believe his sincerity. Luckily the waiter stepped in, fussing round the dripping agent.

"Sir, there is a bathroom in the back if you need to clean up." With a disgruntled huff Agent Fields turned away from 47 and squelched over to the private bathroom. 47 waited for the hubbub to die down before slipping in after him. I could hear Fields muttering in one of the cubicles as 47 entered.

"Absolutely typical. Most important assignment of your career and it has to start like this." I felt a swell of pity for the man as I watched the inevitable unfold.

47 was silent as he advanced on the closed door and skillfully opened the lock. The agent barely had time to react before the assassin had wrapped an arm round his neck and slowly lowered his unconscious body to the floor. I was suddenly aware how quiet I had been so far. Usually with Carlton I would have been stepping him through most of that, but with my new agent I hadn't uttered a syllable.

Grabbing his briefcase, 47 straightened up and checked his appearance in the bathroom mirror. It was the first time I had a good look at him; he was wearing a similar outfit to the now prone CIA agent. Light trousers, with a blue short-sleeved shirt, he had a pair of sunglasses on though that made his face even more unreadable.

"The PA is due to meet the agent at 1pm." 47 acknowledged my hint by looking at his watch; it was 12:55 in Dubai. He calmly exited the bathroom and made his way back out into the midday sun. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the white light, a beautifully dressed Emirati woman was stood where Agent Fields had been a moment earlier. She was looking round expectantly, I assumed this was the Sheikh's PA. 47 clearly thought the same as he made a beeline for her; a few feet away she registered his approach and smiled broadly at him, her hand outstretched to shake his.

"Afternoon Mr Fields, it's a pleasure to welcome you to Dubai." 47 gripped her hand; I was very aware how small hers was in comparison.

"Thank you, the heat is definitely something." He could be really smooth when he needed to be, I thought sourly.

"His Royal Highness Sheikh Rashad is eager to meet you, if you'd like to follow me." She moved off into the crowd heading towards the large mall to one side of the lake. 47 easily kept pace with her, people taking one look at his tall, muscular frame before moving quickly out of the way.

She was headed for the Burj Khalifa, that was where Rashad's offices were. Getting in was going to be the easy part, it was getting out I was most concerned with. They came to the entrance of the building which was inside the mall, shoppers surrounded them on all sides as Rashad's PA gestured for 47 to go first. The only way in out of that monolith of glass was via a lift; the single entrance and exit was making me uneasy but 47 was as calm and cool as ever. This bolstered my confidence a little, by this point Carlton would have been stressing me out.

The inside of the Burj was as impressive as the exterior. It was a modern marvel; it was clean and bright, everything looked like it had just been finished. The lift doors opened soundlessly and they both stepped in.

"The Sheikh would like to remind you that everything discussed in this meeting is strictly confidential." She said in a conversational tone, but I could here the threat underneath it.

"Of course." 47's low voice betrayed nothing however.

I watched in awe at the floor numbers ticking up slowly; they were currently on the 105th floor, my mind couldn't comprehend a building that high. Part of me wished I could be there to see it, but then I remembered the situation I would be in if that were the case and my London flat didn't seem so dull.

Eventually the numbers slowed and then stopped on 150. My stomach churned uncomfortably; we were most definitely trapped up here now. The doors slide open revealing more of a penthouse than an office. My eyes hurt from the extravagance of it; there was a lot of gold, gold chairs, gold walls. Good Jesus, this man was ostentatious. An Emirati man stood in the middle of the room, I was expecting him to be wearing the traditional robe and headscarf that every other man had been wearing downstairs. Instead he was dressed like a rock star, tight fitting jeans and a silk shirt with the buttons almost undone to the waist. He had a well groomed beard and short, dark hair, for some unknown reason he was wearing sunglasses indoors hiding his eyes. I wasn't sure I liked that too much. Rolling my eyes, I thought how this hit wouldn't be too hard to stomach; this man just screamed dickhead to me.

"Mr Fields, welcome, welcome." He greeted 47 exuberantly, his arms raised in a gesture of greeting. I noticed his hands were covered in gold rings as well, as he clasped 47's hand pumping it up and down in an over the top hand shake. I could imagine my agent's eyebrow raising slightly at the uncomfortable physical contact.

"Afternoon Your Royal Highness."

"Pleeease, call me Rashad, we're all friends here." He smiled broadly, but I couldn't help but be reminded of my old boss Dom Johnson when he did so. It had a very crocodilian air about it. As 47 moved into the room, I began to notice a number of bodyguards lurking around the edge of it. They were typically dressed in black suits, and they too were wearing sunglasses indoors. This whole setup was like a cliché gangster den.

Rashad flopped down on a couch in the middle of the room, and gestured for 47 to sit opposite him. He did so, slowly obviously taking in his surroundings. He placed the briefcase by his feet, I watched as Rashad seemed to follow its movements.

"This is a bit of an usual design for an office." I smiled at 47's pointed question. Rashad smiled back, looking un-phased.

"I found I work better when I am comfortable. Plus, my team don't seem to mind the surroundings." I frowned at this, what team? Where were all his employees? As if in answer Rashad leant back in the chair, and jabbed a casual finger upwards.

"They're on the next floor if you're wondering." He laid both his hands on the back of the couch, surveying 47. "Think of this like my private office."

47 didn't respond, letting the silence hang between them. I felt a tad helpless currently, the Burj's online security was impossible to access remotely. This had made me chuckle, it was easier to access the CIA's system then some office building in Dubai. It told you a lot about what they did there. I was hoping 47 would be able to access a computer here somehow and get me in. I had already given him a USB that would allow that, I remember him commenting on it when I had sent it. "Just like old times."

"Will I get to see them?" His voice cut through my revere. Rashad's smile faded and he leant towards 47, taking off his sunglasses. His eyes were hooded, with dark circles under them. Probably from too much partying, I thought sourly.

"All in good time Agent Fields. Let me see your end of the bargain first." 47 lifted the briefcase onto the low table between them, and slide it across the distance to Rashad. The Sheikh smirked as he pulled the case closer and flicked open the latches. Lifting the lid, the contents were obscured from our view. Rashad was silent for a moment, before finally smiling at 47 and laughing loudly.

"Excellent, everything seems to be in order. Your government aren't going to regret this, what we're making here is second to none." He leapt up, friendly and open again. "Come on my friend, come and see what you've bought."

47 stood up and quietly followed Rashad to an open stairway leading up to another level. A large window looking down on Dubai flanked it; I felt a bit nauseous glimpsing the height they were at. The PA followed them upstairs, along with two bodyguards. 47 would have to find a way to get him alone, or figure out a subtler plan of action. The level above Rashad's 'private office' was more business like. A number of desks were positioned around the room, the decoration was less extravagant, and there were a handful of men sat in front of computers.

This was more my style, we needed to get access to one of these terminals. Rashad strode to the middle of the room and span to face 47, his arms outstretched.

"This is where the magic happens." A few workers looked up at their boss, their faces betrayed their distain for his flamboyant behavior. "I took this little start up company and nurtured it into an efficient machine, producing the best surveillance software in the world."

"May I?" 47 asked, pointing towards a nearby computer. Rashad grinned, clearly excited to show of his creation.

"Of course." I held my breath as 47 sat down in front of the screen, the Sheikh clicked his fingers at a worker, summoning him over. What an arse.

"Amir, show Mr Fields what you are working on." Amir walked over and stood by 47's shoulder. Deftly he brought up a screen showing a mass of coding, to most it was gobbledygook but I leant forward intrigued. It was a work of art, an almost undetectable software patch that would run in the background. The Wi-Fi login would access the victims device and then boom. The software would scan for all personal information and remain on the device even after they had stopped using the Internet.

I blew out slowly, taking in the enormity of the situation. This thing would give unlimited information to anyone who used it; and the CIA had technically just purchased it. This was huge, and I nearly missed 47 casually asking about the servers to Amir, I was so overwhelmed. The techy nodded and led 47 to an airtight room, cooling fans ran at full blast to keep the machines at the right temperature. Amir had to shout to be heard over the din.

"This is where we keep all the data, Sheikh Rashad doesn't want any copies anywhere. We keep all our backups on here on these state of the art servers, no USB's or cloud storage at all. He doesn't want it leaking into the wrong hands. Or to people who won't pay." The techy raised his eyebrows at 47, there was an unspoken fear in his eyes that I didn't like. What was this thing they'd made? Amir turned away from him and moved towards the door, as he began to exit the room I saw 47 hang back.

I caught on immediately and scanned his surroundings quickly. "To your left, just under that monitor." Amir was nearly out, and before he turned to see where his guest had got to 47 quickly inserted the USB in the port I had identified. Excellent, I thought, this should turn the tables in our favour.

"So is everything to your liking Mr Fields?" Rashad was waiting as 47 and Amir made their way back over to him.

"Yes, thank you." The Sheikh grinned and clapped 47 on the shoulder; I stifled a laugh knowing my agent would hate that.

"Like I said to your superiors, this software will monitor anyone, anywhere, anytime. Cyber terrorism will be a thing of the past, along with anyone who doesn't agree with you, eh?" He laughed heartily at his own joke.

"Come my friend, we must celebrate this union of information between our two countries." He led 47 back downstairs, and I turned my attention to my laptop next to me. The USB had already done its work and I was into their closed circuit system. I had access to all the software they had created, backups and Meta data. All I needed to do was download it for the client.

"How will you send the software to us?" I looked back at the POV screen. They were back in the gold room; Rashad was faced away from 47, busy with something on a table in front of him.

"As you can understand Agent Fields, the software is too sensitive to send with yourself now, or via the Internet. We will await your instruction here as to when and where you wish to us the service, and we will initiate it for you." He turned around holding a bottle of champagne.

"I don't allow my data to get anywhere outside this building in its raw form, as I'm sure Amir told you." He handed the bottle to the PA who begins to open it for him.

"I am not a political man Agent Fields, I don't care how you use my software. I only care how much you pay for the service, which you have, very well I might add." The PA opened the bottle with a muted pop and turned to the table where two glasses stood.

"Your superiors know how to get hold of me when they wish to use it. Now, join me in a toast my friend to our new partnership." I saw the PA move towards him with two glasses.

"Certainly, please excuse me one moment. Where is your restroom?" Rashad smiled as he pointed to a door at the far end of the room.

"That way."

47 moved quickly towards it, and slipped in away from the eyes of Rashad and his entourage. He looked at himself in the mirror, his blue eyes seeming to look at me not his reflection.

"Do you have the data?" I jumped at the sound of his voice echoing in the lavish bathroom. It was only after a moment I realised he was talking to me.

"Yes, it's all here. I am downloading right now." He nodded. I watched as he reached into his trouser pocket and withdrew something small and white. It looked like a pill and it took me a second to identify it as a poison powder capsule.

"I don't know what's going to happen once I kill him Perry, so make sure that data is secure before I do." I glanced at the progress bar displayed on my laptop; it was nearly done.

"We should be okay. You have a plan to get out of this place?" He raised one eyebrow at me, his mouth set in a firm line.

"Sorry, was just asking." His mouth twitched at my annoyed response, as he concealed the capsule in the palm of his hand.

Rashad was waiting for him in the center of the room again; he was holding his drink already. I wasn't sure how 47 was going to do this, with this many eyes on him. The PA smiled warmly at the assassin as she handed him a glass of champagne, as he gripped the top of the glass to take it from her I saw him break the capsule and let the powder fall into his own drink. I frowned, unsure what he plan would be here.

"To your health my friend." The Sheikh lifted his glass in a toast, smiling his crocodile smile.

"It is a tradition in our country to toast from each other's glasses." I heard 47 lie smoothly to Rashad. A flicker of confusion passed over his face at the comment.

"Really? I have never heard of such a thing. But if it is tradition, well, we are in the land of tradition after all." He handed his glass to 47, and 47 passed his to the target. I shook my head in disbelief; this guy was next level. I looked at my laptop and saw the data had finished transferring.

"All done 47, you're clear to take down the target." Rashad raised his glass once more and downed it in one go. Only when my lungs started to complain did I realise I was holding my breath, watching the Sheikh as he looked around the room smiling.

"Boys, we're going to have a party ton-" His words were cut off as he let the champagne flute fall to the floor. It smashed into a thousand tiny shards, Sheikh Rashad clutched his throat, his eyes bulging.

The bodyguards drew their guns as one, the PA screamed and ran to her boss in an effort to assist him. 47 was surrounded, I knew he would probably be alright but I still would prefer a clean exit on my first run. Frantically I looked at my laptop and accessed the servers upstairs. With a few well thought out taps of my keyboard I sent the servers into meltdown, wiping all trace of the software and setting off a number of alarms. The guards were distracted, as their boss sank to the floor amid the wailing of sirens above them.

"Get out 47."

Without hesitation the assassin strode towards the lift and pressed the button to summon it. Chaos was taking over as some of the bodyguards tried to assist in vain, as Rashad began to foam at the mouth. The doors to the lift slide open just as two of the bodyguards nearest 47 noticed his escape.

"Hey you!" Quicker than I could keep track 47 knocked one guard out and effortlessly whirled around to subdue the second. He took a step back into the lift, and I watched Rashad's body finally still as the doors slide shut.

"Thank you Peregrine." His voice was steady, completely unaffected by the drama he had just escaped. Me on the other hand, I was struggling to get my heart back to a normal pace.

"Is the data secure?" I looked at my laptop having momentarily forgotten one of the reasons for us being there. The software coding was all there, completely intact for the client who had requested it. My heart slowed down as I thought about what I had stored on my computer. This was an invasion of privacy and security of the highest order. Anyone with the access to this software could spy on anyone, uninhibited and undetected. Suddenly, I became extremely uncomfortable with the very existence of it.

There was little I could do, the agency was neutral above all else. It shouldn't matter to me who had this, but then why did it matter? I stared at my laptop, ignoring 47's POV. He was fine, I was having my own internal crisis. I was vaguely aware of him exiting the lift and making his way into the busy mall. My fingers were frozen over the keyboard of my laptop. I was chewing on my lip weighing up my options, could I live with myself if I let this continue, not knowing how many lives it could tear apart. Dictatorships could use it to trap their people forever, politicians remain corrupt and unchallenged; this would herald a new age of oppression. One where no one would be safe from judgment from those who craved power.

47 was back in the afternoon sun, the screen shone brightly illuminating my dark flat. My heart had picked up pace again, I took in a deep breath my brain fighting with my conscience. 47 had reached the agency vehicle left for his escape and was getting in. The engine started, the screen went black, I hit delete.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I was in a shit ton of trouble.

I had received the email about an hour after we had completed the contract, and had deleted the data I was supposed to send to the client.

 _You have failed to complete the contract objectives set out by the client. Due to this your payment has been docked accordingly, and you are currently under investigation by the board._

 _Please do not leave your country of residence; we will be in touch shortly._

That had been three days ago, and I still hadn't heard anything. It wasn't even signed so I had no idea who was investigating me. A pang of guilt hit me again as I thought about Diana, I hadn't meant to her let her down. My days had been filled with a rollercoaster of emotion, one minute I thought about how stupid I had been going against a contract's guidelines, especially when I was being monitored. The next minute I felt a sense of massive relief that I had erased that awful, invasive program from existence.

I fiddled with the coffee cup in front of me absent-mindedly. I was pretty sure I was going to be fired; they couldn't let that kind of disobedience stay within the agency. 47 suddenly swam to the front of my thoughts, he had chosen me to replace his trusted handler, and I had already fucked up beyond belief. He would be better off without me, I had kind of sleep walked into this crazy world, following a man I barely knew but somehow had a strange hold over me.

Glancing at my watch I saw that Helen was late. I ground my teeth in frustration, where was she? I shouldn't even be meeting her, but there wasn't much else I could do to piss off the board more than I already had. She had sent me a desperate message last night, asking if I could talk. The tone of her words told me there was something very wrong, and so I had once again gone against protocol and arranged to meet at our old café. I sensed whatever she wanted to talk to me about, was better done face to face.

I was about to give up and leave before someone saw what I was doing; the paranoia was strong at the moment. Then I saw her weaving her way through the crowd in Leicester square. She looked her usual glamorous self, hair styled elegantly and a long, expensive looking overcoat swishing as she walked. But her face was gaunt and haunted, and her eyes darted from side to side nervously as she made her way over to me. I stood up, concern written across my face as she finally saw me and gave a small, weak smile.

"Are you alight? What's happened?" I hugged her fiercely, the months apart melting away instantly.

"Oh Morgs, I'm so glad to see you. It's been too long." Her voice was high and reedy, thick with emotion as she greeted me. I let go of her gently and moved her towards the chair opposite mine.

"Do you want me to get you a drink?" I spoke in a clam, even voice. My training kicking in as I looked at my rattled friend. She flicked a worried look towards the busy café interior and shook her head.

"No thanks, I just need to talk." I could see a wetness in the corners of her eyes, she was holding back tears.

"Go on, I'm listening." Looking down she took a shaky breath in, preparing herself.

"It's Greg." I blinked in confusion, the name rang a bell but I couldn't stop thinking about that American I had helped kill a few weeks ago.

"Greg?" She looked back up at me, her face a mask of frustration.

"Greg, my ex. The one who's been stalking me for nearly two years?" Realisation dawned on me, and I leant forward so I could lower my voice.

"What's he done this time Hels?" She lowered her head again, her hair covering her expression.

"He's gone too far this time Morgs. He- He broke into my flat and-" I could see her struggling, and I reached a hand out towards hers.

"It's ok." My voice was soft and comforting, and I could see her breathing start to settle. Raising her head, she fixed her gaze on me.

"He _attacked_ me Morgan." The word smacked me in the face. The coldness of shock was quickly followed by the heat of rage.

"He what!?" I spat the words out. "Go to the police Helen." Her face crumpled as she finally gave into despair.

"I can't, he threatened to destroy my career. Said he'd post loads of these photos he's taken of me while we were together online. Morgan I saw them, they're all fake but-but." She swallowed trying to keep the sobs down. "You know how good at Photoshop he was, they're awful Morgs. He said no one would believe me once he's shown them." My vision was starting to blur with anger, the little fucking low life. Helen had never hurt anyone, she had let him down easy when she broke up with him. It was completely out of the blue and I wasn't going to let it slide.

"I'll take care of the photos Helen, go to the police." Hope filled her eyes as she gripped my hand tightly.

"How?" I shook my head.

"Doesn't matter how, I'll take care of them." My voice was firm and filled with the authority my new job had taught me. I could see Helen look at me properly for the first time since our reunion.

"You've changed Morgan. I can see it. Whatever your new life is, it's doing you good." She smiled a sad smile, and I couldn't stand it any longer. I stood up and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I've missed you." The loneliness of the past year overwhelmed me as I held my friend. Most of the time the excitement of my life now drowned out the sacrifices I had made, but seeing her again had made me realise how much I had been missing from the world. She broke down and started sobbing into my shoulder, a few people looked round from their lattes but my piercing stare made them turn away again hastily.

After a few minutes I released her and looked into her wide eyes reassuringly.

"Go home, call the police. I'll sort this tonight ok?"

She nodded, biting her lip. Slowly, like she was in a trance, Helen turned away from me and walked back into the crowd. It hurt to see her look so vulnerable, but I needed to get this guy now. Looks like my hobby had taken its first personal order.

...

I had been methodically hacking this shit head for an hour. All thoughts of my impending dismal from the agency pushed to the back of my mind. He was proving suspiciously hard to get to. I knew Greg was good with computers, but it seemed I had underestimated his skills. Coming from me with my current experience, this set my hackles rises.

I was about halfway done I reckoned, he had hidden the pictures in various places, probably to avoid someone doing what I was currently doing. Helen had been right, they were foul. I was struggling to look at them as I deleted each one, he would have destroyed the girl with these lies he had created. Right now I was wishing I was in the agency's good books, so I could have swayed them to activate my own contract against this guy. I made do with what little I could do for my friend though, and was just cracking his latest firewall when my phone rang.

Pausing mid type, I gave the offending item a sideways look. Was it them? Gingerly I picked up the phone and saw Helen's caller ID. My relief from staving off the inevitable was quickly replaced with concern though. I swiped the answer call button and placed it to my ear.

"Everything ok?"

Her scream sent a wave of panic crashing through me. It was a blood curdling sound, which betrayed real, life threatening fear.

"Helen!" I felt more helpless than I had ever had on any contract. I didn't know where she was, or what was happening to her. Her screams of terror were punctuated with heart wrenching sobs, and I felt my eyes welling up with tears of frustration.

All of a sudden her cries became distant, and I heard the air shift in my ear indicating someone else was on the other end.

"Who are you? What are you doing to her?" There was silence on the other end, but I could just make out the sound of slow, steady breathing over Helen's distress.

"I swear to fucking god, you better let her go or I'll-"

"Or you'll do what Peregrine?" My heart stopped in my chest. _What the fuck?_

"How do you know-?" The man gave a nasty laugh.

"That really doesn't matter right now, all that matters is you stop what your doing to my property and come to lovely Helen's flat as quick as you can." As if to emphasize his point, Helen suddenly let out an ear splitting scream. It was Greg, Greg?! I gripped my phone so tightly it was a wonder it didn't break.

Greg paused for a moment waiting for a response, I couldn't find the words to express my terror and furry. Eventually I heard him sigh, "I'll be waiting."

Just before he hung up I heard Helen's strained voice in the background, "No Morgan, don't-"

The line went dead.

...

I stood outside Helen's flat, unsure what to do. I knew this was a trap, obviously, but I could not see another way out of this. The agency wouldn't help me right now, plus I knew what they'd say. Let her die. Sometimes I wondered why I had agreed to enter this brutal world they existed in, but then 47's face appeared in my mind and I mentally kicked myself for being an idiot.

I had nothing to defend myself with; I wouldn't have known what to do with it if I had been able to find a weapon. I made a mental note to teach myself to shoot if I made it out of this. Taking a steadying breath through my nose, I advanced on the apartment entrance. Looking around the darkened street I noted how completely alone I was, before pressing Helen's buzzer.

"Yes?" His voice sent shivers down my spine.

"I'm here." I growled down the speaker to him. There was no response, just the click as he opened the door for me. My feet felt like lead as I took the four flights of stairs to Helen's front door. He was waiting for me in the dark entrance, a pistol in his hand. My eyes widen, they were hard to come by for the general public in this country. It made me suspect this unassuming man even more.

He waved for me to hurry up, using the hand holding the gun to push me roughly into the flat. It was like a bomb had gone off in there; furniture was turned over or pushed to the wall. There was broken glass on the wood floor and I could see spots of blood here and there. My stomach churned. As Greg shut the door behind me, locking it many times, I searched the dimly lit living room for my friend. I found her on her side against the far wall, bound at the hands and feet, and gagged.

She was motionless and in a panic I rushed over to kneel by her, I closed my eyes in relief as I saw her chest rising and falling slowly. Just unconscious. There were some nasty bruises covering her arms and face, and a deep gash on her knee but otherwise she looked whole. I gently rested my hand on her cheek.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered. It was clear to me now that this was my doing. Greg knew my codename somehow, which meant he knew who I worked for and he'd used Helen to get to me.

I stood up quickly, spinning around as I heard his footsteps behind me.

"She'll be fine. She's just having a nap." He smiled cruelly at me and pointed his gun at a lone chair set in the middle of the room.

"Sit." It wasn't a request.

I glared at him as I slowly sat on the wooden chair, he moved over and immediately tied my wrists behind me, attaching me to the chair. The cable tie he used cut into my flesh uncomfortably.

"Now then, we need to have a little talk." He sauntered around to stand in front of me; he smirked as he looked down at my vulnerable state. My plan was to keep him talking, and assess my situation as it unfolded. It wasn't the best idea.

"What do you want Greg? How do you know my name?" He leveled the pistol at my head, I didn't react.

"I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time Morgan, you were singled out when you joined the newspaper." I frowned, none of this made sense.

"Who singled me out?"

"We did. We recruit the best and the brightest hackers from around the world. The future is online and we want to be the first to control it. People call us a lot of things but we are simply known as Cicada 3301." My jaw dropped, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They were a myth, an online legend. I had heard about the puzzles on the deep web but just thought it was someone dicking about. Greg took in my shocked expression, clearly enjoying the moment.

"We've been watching your progress Morgan, from gifted hacker to deadly assassin handler. You've made our lives quite difficult recently."

I shook my head, something still bugged me.

"But you're a nobody Greg. You went out with Helen for, what was it? Two months and then you've been harassing her ever since."

His lip curled at my judgment of him.

"A cover, I didn't think the bitch would dump me before I could get close to you. She thought she was something special, I could never stand her. Although I must admit…luring you out of your hiding place certainly was fun." A blind fury took over, and in my desperation to lash out at him I tried to stand up with the chair attached to me.

Before I could reach him he gave me a sharp crack to my head with the butt of the pistol. I stumbled back and landed back on the chair, my head ringing. I could taste blood in my mouth.

"That's enough of that. Stay put." I spat on the floor, my spit tinged with red.

"Ok, so your part of some bullshit, super hacker organisation. What do you want with me now? It's clear I work for someone else." He chuckled.

"Not for long by the looks of it. You really cocked up in Dubai, that was our information you stole. It's the second time you've screw up our plans." I racked my brains for another instance I might have pissed off this Cicada group. He waited for me to get to it myself, but my brain was still fuzzy from the hit he had dealt me. He sighed impatiently.

"Washington? You killed our guy in the congress." Holy shit, that congressman was about to launch a bill allowing legal monitoring of citizens, and I had deleted a program built to do just that. He saw my comprehension, and smiled.

"There we go, now you're getting it. So I have a question to ask you Morgan, or Peregrine, whatever you call yourself nowadays." He aimed the pistol at Helen's head. "Will you join us?" My throat tightened in fear, why hadn't any neighbours heard this commotion. Had he killed them all? The talking plan wasn't really getting me anywhere, and I was running out of time now.

"Why would I?" I managed to level my voice to appear calm. I wasn't sure I was fooling him though.

"Well, for one I've got you tied up with a gun pointed at your best friend's head. And two, it's really in your best interests. The ICA won't want you now you've gone against their orders and we can protect you from them." This time I snorted mockingly.

" _You_ protect me from _them_? Yeah, whatever Greg." A furious look came over his face and moved towards me. I didn't have anywhere to go, the second hit to my head set the room spinning and tiny spots of light burst in my vision.

"We'll own them soon. So don't fucking think for one second you know what you're in the middle of, because you don't" He hissed the words into my ear. I blinked my eyes, trying to clear my view, a worry feeling of nausea was bubbling in my stomach and I felt something hot and wet sliding down my face.

I turned my head to lock eyes with him, he was only a few inches away from me and I could feel his breath on my cheek. For the first time I thought I was going to die. A numbing sense of the end nearing started to creep up from my feet, to my legs, to my body. It worried me that I didn't seem to care, all I cared about was keeping Helen alive.

"Own them? What do you mean?" My voice was thick and slurred, my tongue felt too big for my mouth. I forced my head straight again and he moved away to regard me from a distance. The gun was back on Helen.

"Cicada wants to infiltrate the ICA, it's why they got me to flush you out. We knew where you'd gone the minute you disappeared after that hit on your boss. I just needed to find out where you were hiding."

His voice was beginning to sound like it was at the other end of a tunnel. I was fighting to remain conscious, I knew it.

"I'm not going to help you." Every word was a struggle, I saw Greg smirk cruelly.

"That's a shame. At least I'm going to save the ICA a bullet." He cocked the gun and aimed it at my head now. The numbness had reached my chest and arms, this was it. I guess it had been worth it, whatever I had been doing for the last year. I just wish I could make sure my friend was safe before I went.

"Before I kill you, can I ask you something?" Through the fog I noted how strange that question seemed.

"You can ask."

I glared at him, determined not to let him kill me with my eyes shut. He paused for a moment, the smile turning into a leer, "Who thought you'd be any good at this really?"

There was the tiniest creak of a floorboard behind him, then a low, familiar voice cut through the silence.

"I think you'd better ask _me_ that question." Greg's eyes widen as he felt the barrel of a gun press against the back of his head. Then my vision turned red with his blood.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I gasped in shock as Greg's body dropped to the floor at my feet. His blood was everywhere; he had literally had his brains blown out. 47 regarded me coolly, his pistol still raised, smoking slightly. There was a moment of calm before I bent forward unceremoniously and retched onto the floor. Nothing came out, but my body had finally caught up to the life-threatening situation I had been in.

47 walked over to me slowly and I struggled to tilt my head to look up at him. He was assessing my state with a calm, impassive eye.

"You may have concussion." His tone was matter of fact, ignoring the gore dripping off me from his recent execution.

"You think?" My ballsy, sarcastic quip surprised me, but the assassin only raised his eyebrow at me in that infuriating way he liked to do. Without another word he walked round behind me and deftly cut through the cable tie binding me to the chair. I rubbed my wrists absent mindedly, trying to get the blood flowing to them again.

"Can you stand?" He was stood beside me now, his expression unreadable. I wasn't sure; I was finding it hard to sit currently, so god knows what standing would be like. Gingerly I pushed down on the seat of the chair with my hands and raised myself an inch at a time. He watched me patiently, never once giving the impression I was hindering him. My head gave a sickening lurch as I reached my full height; wobbling unsteadily I turned to look at him, every movement a battle.

"Yes, it appears I can." He kept his eyes on me as he moved to stand directly in front of me. Hesitantly he reached out a hand and touched under my chin. The contact sent a strange warmth through the place he was holding. It wasn't helping my bid to stay upright. With surprising gentleness he tilted my head and examined the wound on my forehead. I was convinced he could feel my heart pounding as his eyes slide over my face, concentration creasing his brow.

"The wound is superficial. You should be okay." All too soon he released my chin, letting my head fall back to its natural position.

"That's a relief, I thought he'd knocked my brains out for sure." 47 didn't react, but I saw his eyes glint briefly with amusement.

"We need to get you home." He glanced at the scene around us, how were we going to hide all this? His gaze suddenly locked onto Helen in the corner, and my heart stuttered nervously.

"Has she been unconscious long?" I knew what he was hinting at

"She was like that when I got here." He nodded once in satisfaction. She hadn't heard anything to make her a problem. He quietly walked over to her and cut her arms free, then taking Greg's pistol he wiped the grip and placed it gently in her hand. I watched with fascination as he set the scene the police would find.

"Self-defense." He stated simply as he straightened up and turned back to me. A sadness I couldn't pin point suddenly threatened to overwhelm me. She would be fine; it was obvious she had been attacked. But at that moment I just knew in my gut that I wouldn't see her again. It was too dangerous; I had already caused enough damage. 47 waited for me to collect myself before moving towards the door. It was my cue to leave.

With one last glance at Helen, I hobbled slowly after the assassin using whatever was near for support as I went. After what seemed like years I made it down to the ground floor. 47 was waiting by his black Audi that I had travelled in an age ago. He opened the passenger door for me like a gentleman, and I lowered myself in as gracefully as I could manage. I tilted my head back against the leather headrest as he drove quickly through the nighttime streets of London.

"How did you find me?" I asked him, my eyes closed to stop my stomach churning.

"I've been monitoring you since Dubai." I opened one eye and regarded his profile. He noticed me looking and fixed me with his cool stare.

"You really shouldn't have done what you did Peregrine. But after hearing what you potentially saved the agency from, I suggest you tell Diana and Mahone what you've uncovered."

I opened both eyes and lifted my head to frown at 47. "Why both of them?"

He turned his attention back to the road. "Because they're waiting for you back at your flat."

My stomach dropped. What a fantastic time to receive my verdict from the agency. Concussed out of my mind and covered in someone else's blood. We were back at my flat quicker than I would have liked, I wasn't sure if I could take anymore drama tonight.

47 helped me out of the car, I probably gripped onto his arm tighter than was comfortable but he didn't show it. It felt like a walk on death row ascending to my front door. 47 walked behind me, I wasn't certain if he was making sure I wouldn't fall back down the stairs or if he was stopping me from running. Not that I could have run anywhere in my current state.

The lights were on in my flat as I nervously opened the door. Diana and Mahone were stood in my living room facing towards me, expecting me. I shuffled in to them, my face probably betraying my fear. Both their expressions were stern, but I could see concern and a tinge of shock in Diana's features as she took in my macabre appearance.

I wasn't sure if it was the concussion or nervous energy, but I suddenly felt highly delirious. "Hello everyone, welcome to my home. Do excuse me, I am currently auditioning for a role in the Walking Dead."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Diana's face broke into a grin at this remark. 47 had come to stand beside me, facing the pair. Diana's eyes flicked to him briefly, a moment of unspoken understanding flashing between them. I was acutely aware of the strength of respect and trust they felt for each other. Mahone remained unchanged, the same grumpy expression fixed on his face, he was an ex-agent after all, he had seen it all before.

"Peregrine, we've come to give you the judgment from the board." His gruff tone held no warmth or humour. My gut tightened in nervous anticipation. "You violated the terms of your contract by not delivering the information requested by the client. This is unacceptable, and extremely disappointing from someone with your…promise." He looked at 47 for the first time then, as if accusing him of my incompetence. The man beside me didn't move, but his quiet voice instantly demanded attention in the room.

"I have some new information that might change your mind Director Mahone." The other man looked taken aback at 47's sudden intervention.

"With all due respect 47, this isn't a matter for you to concern yourself with." This time 47 shifted to face Mahone square on, ever so slightly he straightened himself to his full height. Mahone's mouth tightened in a thin line at the subtle threat.

"On the contrary, it _is_ a matter for me to concern myself with. Peregrine is my handler, and I have intel that can prove she did you a favour deleting that program." It was Diana's turn to look taken aback.

"What do you know 47?" My agent turned to face his previous handler.

"Peregrine was attacked tonight by a member of a supposed elite group of hackers known as Cicada 3301." Diana's eyebrows shot up at this revelation, Mahone merely huffed unconvinced. "They revealed that the program in Dubai was meant to go to one of them, the client who hired us was part of their group. They also informed her that their main objective was to infiltrate and compromise the ICA."

Mahone and Diana exchanged a look. "Is that the case Peregrine?" Diana's voice was low and urgent. I nodded dumbly, 47's testimony had me speechless. He needn't have helped me. Mahone growled in frustration.

"Of course she would agree, it gets her off the hook." He jabbed a finger at 47. "I don't know what you're playing at agent, but I never agreed to let any old, public school, two bit hacker join our organisation." 47 clenched his fist; the movement was so minute that I was sure only I had noticed. "It was only because you insisted she was to be the replacement that we agreed, and now look at the mess she's caused." Mahone's sudden disdain for me felt unjustified, and I couldn't help feeling a sense of frustrated anger at his assumptions of me. Sure I had gone against their orders last time, but hadn't I proven myself?

Diana turned angrily to face the Training Director, "Enough Mahone. 47 has no reason to lie to us, if what he says is true then we have more pressing concerns than a slightly rebellious handler." She gave me a sideways look, "Besides I was just like her when I started, and need I remind you what happened to _my_ Training Director."

This threat was certainly not veiled; everyone knew how Director Soders had died. I risked a glance to my side to see 47 giving Mahone a piercing stare. Mahone visibly deflated under the onslaught.

He shot me a bitter look, and I was sure I hadn't heard the last of this. "Very well. You are free to carry on your duties Peregrine." I was flying high; how had I managed to evade that one? I felt a huge swell of gratitude towards Diana and 47, they had risked their necks for me, fuck knows why.

My mentor turned to face me again; she smiled a reassuring smile at me. "Get yourself cleaned up Peregrine, then tell us all you know about Cicada 3301."

The computer screen illuminated my face. To say it was a surreal experience having my agent and mentor stood in the room where I had performed all of my contracts was an understatement. I had noticed 47's cursory glance around the small office room, the arrangement of screens and electrical equipment taking up most of the space. They were both looking over my shoulder at the information I had brought up on Cicada.

"They've been going for years, every so often they'll post challenges online for people to complete. Only the best succeed, they select them to join I guess, it's always just been speculation no one actually knows." I turned to look at Diana as she read the wiki page I had up.

"Have you ever tried to complete one?" I looked down sheepishly at her question. My silence drew her gaze to me.

"Once." I was reluctant to answer, knowing this was probably why I was on their radar. "I started one a few years back when I had just moved here." I met her eyes now. "I thought they were just some prank, someone playing a game on the web." I could feel 47's eyes on the back of my head as I spoke.

"Did you finish it?" His voice was quiet and calm. It made me shiver slightly.

"No, I got to the very end and chickened out." I turned away from Diana's x-ray stare and focused on my computer again. "It started to get a bit weird."

The black and white image of a Cicada glared at me accusingly from the screen. "How so?" Diana didn't sound angry, just curious; it gave me the strength to keep going.

"They tried to make me hack into a well known politician's private life and find stuff to blackmail them with." I shook my head slowly, "I just thought the joke had gone too far, not that they were…" I trailed off. I had been naïve then, unaware the world was run by hidden groups manipulating us all. I wondered for the first time what my life would have been like if I had completed it. Banishing the thought from my head, the past was the past, I turned to face them both.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Diana smiled at me, 47 remained expressionless.

"We never asked Peregrine. You're telling us now anyway."

A sensation of drowning suddenly hit me; I rubbed my aching head with my hand tentatively.

"I'm such an idiot." I said, almost to myself.

"You're learning Perry." Diana looked sharply at 47, the use of my nickname jarring her. His gaze was fixed on me, and I stared into his eyes for a moment trying to keep my head above the surface. He broke away first to look at Diana.

"So what now?" She seemed to think for a moment.

"I'll take this information to the board and see if I can persuade them to pursue this. In the mean time you and Peregrine lay low." He nodded, their easy relationship evident.

"This is a load of hooey." Mahone's gravelly voice interrupted. Diana sighed turning to face him, I strained to look at his silhouetted form in the doorway.

"There is concrete evidence that this group exists and is a real threat to the agency Mahone." She spoke slowly as if talking to someone who was stupid. Mahone marched into the middle of her and 47, suddenly my little office seemed very crowded. I didn't like being lower down than everyone else, but I didn't have any space to stand. I stayed tucked behind my agent and mentor as Mahone started to get annoyed.

"So far it's just the word of some green horned handler, and the ramblings of a lunatic who attacked her. I've seen little _evidence_ to persuade me that this fabricated group of technical wizards could do any damage to the ICA."

"He knew my codename." All three of them turned to look at me. Mahone looked like an enraged bull at the moment, I struggled to keep the confidence in my voice, I felt very small. "He also had information about my contracts."

47 turned back to Mahone, "That's true, he did." Mahone looked from 47 to me.

"You seem to be very keen to defend this girl 47." There was an accusation in his voice that I didn't like. 47 gave the smallest shrug.

"I am just telling you the truth Mahone. If you don't want to believe it, that's up to you." His calm voice seemed to anger Mahone even more.

"I came here to dismiss this handler for her misconduct. Not get into some argument about the existence of the tooth fairy." My face flamed with chagrin; so they had been here to fire me. At least Diana was determined to keep fighting for me.

The tension in the room was starting to get uncomfortable, when a loud ping from my computer made us all turn towards it. A message had popped up on my desktop; it was unmarked. Slowly I moved my mouse over it, very conscious of everyone watching me. After a moment of hesitation I clicked on it.

The image of a Cicada appeared set against a black background. I leant in to read the strange, staccato text beneath it, my heart thudding loudly.

 _We are the enlightened._

 _Epiphany is upon you, the pilgrimage will continue._

 _A bird with clipped wings does not fly; the wolves are closing in._

 _3301_

I read it in a steady voice, which slowly got quieter as I reached the end. A silence hung in the air after I had finished. Then Mahone shifted uneasily.

"What the hell was that?"

47 turned to the Director, leveling him with his ice-cold stare. "I believe that was a threat from the tooth fairy."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/U: Thanks to all those reviewing and reading so far, hope you are all enjoying it. A personal thank you to Pwashington for all your advice and help with the Hitman universe, I am taking note promise. :)**

Chapter 17

I tapped my foot in agitation as I scanned the screen in front of me. I was sat in Diana's office in Copenhagen, using her desk to rest my laptop on. She was currently in a meeting with the board, and had been for the last five hours. It was her suggestion that I moved back to Denmark in the interim, as Cicada knew where my base in London was. My old flat was still empty and I had resumed living there like I had never left. I felt a strange sort of comfort being back, like coming home from University and knowing there are people around who can look after you.

The ICA had said I could remain a handler and keep my rank, but Diana had to supervise me for now. I didn't really care, I was just wanted to take down this group that seemed intent on hounding me. I had been glued to my laptop for the past week, desperately trying to dig out the heart of this secret society of hackers. Diana had been assisting me where she could, although due to the nature of the beast, it was mainly me sifting around the deep web for clues.

Luckily 47 hadn't been given a contract recently, so I was free to pursue my current extra curricula activity. Until the board gave the green light to take them out, that was what I had to call them. Only Diana and 47 seemed to treat the Cicada group with the same seriousness I did. It made me wonder how the ICA hadn't been infiltrated more often, what with all the over confident, arrogant Directors that ran it.

I cursed as I hit another dead end. There wasn't much to go on; if Greg was any indication a lot of their recruits were invisible, nobodies that could blend in to any situation. However, I knew a few of them had to be high profile world figures if Gregory Thomas, the ex-US congressman, and the member of the Emirati royal family who had order Rashad killed was anything to go by. All I knew at the moment was that their puzzles were untraceable; I hadn't been surprised there if I'm honest, and their influence in the world was larger than appeared on the surface. I held my head in my hands and growled into them in frustration.

"Going well I see." Diana's voice made me sit up. She took in my disheveled look and calmly sat opposite me.

"What's the verdict then?" She gave me a small smile.

"The board has authorised it." I grinned and did a silent celebration. This would make things a thousand times easier. Diana's face held the promise of a 'but' and I stopped to hear the rest.

"They want 47 to execute it once we have a definite target, but they are unsure whether to allow you to handle it." My face fell; this was going to be a trend I could tell. She saw my reaction and continued. "I am fighting your case Peregrine, believe me. No one is more capable than you, but the way they see it you betrayed their trust."

"Did you tell them part about me deleting a program that would have likely been used against them?" She nodded, her face set in a grim expression. I sighed dejectedly and turned my attention back to the screen.

"I'm not getting very far if I'm honest. I think I've officially met my match."

"Now I don't believe _that_ for one second." Diana was smirking while looking down at a file in front of her. I grinned at her and redoubled my efforts.

…

It was 2am and my head was resting on my laptop, I was struggling to stay awake. Diana had agreed to my plan of using myself as bait when none of my other methods had worked. I was waiting for an alert to signal I had caught a fish on my line, but at the moment, nothing. The page had gone live four hours ago; I had posted it on the deep web using similar tags to the original puzzles. If anyone from Cicada were monitoring the deep web they would find my message.

 _I have achieved enlightenment._

 _The path to true epiphany resides in the humble._

 _Even the smallest bird can take down the mighty lion._

 _I am waiting._

 _P_

It was pretentious and not how I liked to operate, but I figured they'd sit up and listen to someone speaking their language. I slipped in and out of consciousness, the buzz of my laptop lulling me to sleep.

I wasn't sure if I had dozed off when the ping jarred me awake. I snorted attractively as I lurched upright and tried to adjust my eyes to the blue glow of the screen. It was another unmarked message. Swallowing nervously, I clicked on the stark white box.

 _Message received Judas._

 _We will be in touch shortly._

 _3301_

This was it, no going back now. I had offered myself as a sacrifice, I only hoped the agency would be watching my back for me. Slowly I closed my laptop down and stared out at Copenhagen at night. Its lights twinkled in the calm blackness; a feeling of peace descended on me. This new life I had created for myself had its ups and downs, but like a drug it had taken hold of me.

Weariness began to win and I made my way to bed. I would need my strength for the trials ahead.

…..

"This isn't a good idea."

His instant dismissal annoyed me slightly. "Why not? It's the best lead we have, and they're not going to let anyone else near them." I heard him sigh in my headset.

"You're last outing in the field didn't exactly go in your favour Perry. I can't be constantly monitoring you." Now I was annoyed.

"I'm not asking you to 47. I'm asking you to help me take these bastards down. Now I can't do it without you, and you can't do it without me, so you'd better get used to the idea of me being a bit more involved than a handler normally would." I had no clue where my confidence had come from suddenly, 47 went quiet. There was a very long pause; I thought he had gone without me knowing.

"Fine." I could tell he wasn't happy, but we didn't have any other choice.

The board had finally agreed to me being involved, after I had convinced them it was literally the only way to get close to Cicada. Diana had been a bit apprehensive about me going into the field, but my plan wouldn't work without me there. The only person left to win over was 47, and he was being unusually stubborn.

"The meeting is in a week at this actor's house. There is a party happening that night, I'm not entirely sure, the message was a hard one to read." I waited for his response; I could just about hear the sound of his steady breathing.

"And they aren't aware you're leading us to them?"

"To be honest, I think they might be suspicious. But it's the best lead I have, even if it means me getting in serious danger."

I heard him sigh again. "Do you have _any_ experience in defending yourself Perry?"

"No, not practically. I was a bloody photographer before I was a hander 47, never really felt the need to learn how to kill another human." Another sigh, this was the most annoyed at me he had ever been.

"One week." Confusion clouded my mind.

"What?"

His tone was serious and to the point. "We've got one week to prepare. I'm teaching you how to shoot."

…..

I stood looking dumbly at the targets in front of me. We were at an ICA training facility, in fact I was pretty sure it was the same one the agent's had been in when I was training. 47 was examining a standard issue pistol, he had already taken it apart and was methodically putting it back together. His concentration and familiar way he handled the weapon was fascinating to watch. I kept switching my focus between him and the targets that were set some way away behind a low wall.

47 finished preparing the gun with a final click, and turned to look at me.

"Ready?" I nodded slowly, I was shaking slightly with nervous adrenaline. He regarded me calmly, carefully handing the gun to me grip first. It was heavier than I was expecting, and I held it gingerly at arm's length. He raised one eyebrow at my reluctant expression. Patiently he waited for me adjust to the feel of it my hands, the grip felt slightly warm from where he'd been holding it. Eventually, I turned myself to face the targets. He moved to stand beside me, his eyes never leaving my face.

"The first rule of shooting is never close your eyes." For a moment my nervousness was forgotten as I gave him an un-amused sideways look. His expression remained serious, every inch the professional.

"You'd be surprised how many people shut their eyes when they pull the trigger. Natural reaction to a loud noise I assume."

I chuckled, the sound making him blink at me. "Ok, so eyes open. Anything else?" His half smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. At least he wasn't annoyed with me at the moment.

"Hold your arms out in front of you, and look directly down the barrel of the gun." I did as he said, my nervous shaking becoming more apparent as I held the weapon up. He moved a step closer to me and reached one hand out to hold my arms steady. My whole body tensed at the unexpected contact.

"That isn't going to help you aim." I looked up at his blue eyes; a point of calm not matter what situation I was in. "Breath Perry." His voice commanded an immediate response. Slowly, I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth, focusing back on the targets. The shaking in my hands slowed slightly, but it still wasn't brilliant.

47 moved his hand away from my arm. "Take your time, when you're ready squeeze the trigger, don't pull." His voice was distractingly close; I could see him stood in my peripheral vision. I swallowed, my mouth was completely dry. Trying my hardest to keep my eye on the target, it was wobbling around a little as I looked down the gun; I gently squeezed the trigger.

The bang echoed around the hangar, my hands jumped back towards me and I narrowly avoided a nasty hit on the nose from the gun. Taking a step back, I blinked rapidly, the smell of gunpowder and fire filling my nostrils. 47 hadn't moved a muscle during the display, but I could see the barely concealed amusement in his face.

"Wow, so that was loud." I remarked, my ears still ringing painfully. 47 raised an eyebrow at me, his blue eyes creasing ever so slightly.

"It hasn't got a compressor, now you know why we have them." I could imagine contracts would be ten times harder, if you had to use a gun that loud while sneaking up on your target. Looking at _my_ target I could see it was completely unscathed. I hadn't even hit it. I saw him look at the embarrassingly pristine target, then back to me.

"Not bad for your first try. At least you didn't drop it." His mouth twitched a little. I frowned at him sulkily.

"Are you making fun of me?" He kept his face innocently blank; I wasn't buying it. "May I remind you that it was your suggestion to teach me, so maybe start teaching?" My huffy statement provoked him to move behind me suddenly. Before I could register what he was doing he had reached round and grasped my wrists in each of his hands. The first thing I noticed was how easily his arms wrapped around my entire body, how long were they? The second thing I noticed was the unnatural closeness of his body to mine. My mouth tightened in a firm line as I tried to concentrate on the deadly weapon in my hands. I wasn't sure what I was feeling, on the one hand a man who I had strange attraction to was holding me, on the other a deadly assassin had my wrists in a vice grip.

"Arms at head height don't tilt your head down." He lifted my arms up level with my eyes; I could feel his heart beating steadily against my back. "Widen your stance." He nudged my leg with his foot, moving it out so my feet were set further apart. He let go and took a step back, the sudden cold after the warmth of his body was jarring. "Now keep your eyes open."

I kept my position and blew out, calming my wildly beating heart. Focusing on the target in the distance I slowly squeezed the trigger again. The retort of the gun wasn't as startling this time, and I was sure I had kept my eyes open the whole duration. Grimacing slightly I glanced at the target, there was one neat hole winking back at me. It wasn't perfect but I had hit on the second attempt.

I whirled round, my expression triumphant. 47 had a stoic look on his face, but as I jumped up and down pointing at the target in excitement, his mouth stretched into a rare genuine smile. It only lasted a second, but I had seen it.

"Very good, you hit it. Please stop jumping around with that in your hand." I sobered up immediately, the weight of the pistol suddenly very apparent to me.

"Not bad for my first time eh?" My nervousness had made way for a giddy sense of confidence. 47 didn't look so sure.

"Unfortunately, you won't find many attackers that are willing to stand still for you while you're aiming." His judgment was harsh, but very fair. I sighed, taking in the enormity of what I was doing for the first time. I stared at the pistol; it looked alien in my hand.

"Is this going to work 47?" The uncertainty made my voice wobble. If there were any other way of us doing this I would've taken it, but I couldn't see it and now I was practicing how to kill another person. It seems silly to say that that thought shocked me, after all I had watched people die many times now. But I had never been the one pulling the trigger. If it came down to it, I mean really came down to it; would I be able to do it?

I locked eyes with 47, his gaze as steady as always. Did anything ever faze this man? He stepped towards me and gently prized the gun from my grasp. It looked like an extension of his arm, completely different to me holding it.

"It will be fine Perry." He walked over to the barrier and took aim. My jaw dropped as within a matter of seconds 47 had hit all twenty targets in the range, every one of them dead in the center. Calmly, as if he had just opened a door, he turned back to me and released the empty cartridge onto the floor.

Staring me at me unblinkingly, his expression deadly, he stated simply, "You've got me."

I felt happier about the situation with that comment. 47 took out another cartridge and loaded it into the gun. He handed it back to me; I gave him a grin.

"That's kind of a hard act to follow." He didn't respond, just waited for me to take the pistol. I gripped the weapon and turned back to the targets.

"Again." I got the feeling I wasn't going to be let off the hook until 47 was happy with my progress. Adjusting my stance, I held it firmly in two hands and tried to center the gun on 47's mark. Taking a deep breath in to steady my hands I squeezed the trigger again.

This time my bullet had edged ever so slightly closer to the center. I gave 47 a sideways look, his eyes were fixed on the target.

"Again. Quicker this time." His mouth was set in a firm line; he wasn't playing anymore. I focused back on the task, firing the gun repeatedly until he finally told me to stop.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/U: Hello all, here is the next update. Thanks for all your reviews, I just wanted to clear something up that a few people have pointed out to me. Mahone is the Training Director, not the Director of the ICA. I'm sorry this wasn't clear and am editing the previous chapters to make it more apparent. Anyway, enjoy this one. :)**

Chapter 18

The Parisian night was enchanting. I had never been to Paris; it was a shame about the circumstances of my visit. The streetlights reflected back at me from the Seine. In another life I might have gone to a café and enjoyed the atmosphere, but I was here for a reason and I had to get ready. I sighed and made my way back to the hotel not far from the center of the city. I could see the Eiffel tower from my window, I had to hand it to the ICA they weren't ones for putting their operatives in a hostel.

Cicada knew I was here with the ICA, I had told them I would persuade them to send me here on a contract. It had shown me that the group didn't know everything about my employer, the fact they hadn't questioned why a handler would need to go to the country of a contract had proven that. One thing I had made absolutely sure of was that they didn't know what 47 looked like. The agency really had done a good job of hiding identities; he would make the hit once we knew who to target.

The hotel Shangri-la greeted me as I rounded the corner of the street. It's impressive façade glowing orange from the tungsten lights positioned around it. I didn't fit in at _all_ in this place, the doorman gave me a stuffy look as I walked in. I grinned back; I wasn't going to be judged by some French snob on a hotel door. I strode through the lavish reception area, all sweeping staircases and chandeliers. A number of well-dressed hotel guests glanced at me as I passed. Much to the annoyance of 47 I had insisted on wearing my usual outfit of jeans, vest top and checked shirt. My worn out sneakers squeaked on the marble tiled floor, I stuck my tongue out at a particularly snotty looking woman in an elegant ball gown. Her shocked expression made it completely worth it.

I leant against the back of the lift as it took me up to my floor. Rubbing my aching eyes, the last remnants of the peaceful Paris night beginning to fade, I tried to focus on the plan. Go to the party, meet the Cicada recruiter, gather intel, hand it over to 47. I repeated the list over and over as I exited the lift and made my way down the corridor. I was whispering it as I entered my room, swiping my keycard.

I didn't scream, instead I picked up a rather heavy looking glass near the door and threw it with all my strength at the intruder in my room. Only realising as it left my hand that they were wearing a familiar black suit and red tie. 47 caught the glass easily, raising his eyebrow at me. Without a word he placed it carefully on the desk beside him and folded his arms.

"That was an improvement on the last time you found me in your room at least." I glared at him as I moved passed him into my room. He turned to follow my movements as I located my laptop and dropped it on the desk next to him.

"Yes, well I have you to thank you that, with all your defensive training last week." He uncrossed his arms and rested his hands on the surface, bringing his head down to my level. "Although glassing my agent in the head before a mission wouldn't have been the best way to get the ICA back on my good side." I gave him a sarcastic smile. He sighed, ignoring my prickly attitude towards him. I had been jumpy since we got here.

"Why are you in here anyway? I thought the plan was to remain separate until after the meeting?" I tapped away a little too violently on my keyboard, attempting to access the messages from Cicada.

"Peregrine." His tone demanded my attention, although I wasn't in the mood for his patronizing tone tonight. I looked at him, my face set in a grumpy expression. His half smile made my stomach clench, but I was determined it wasn't going to win me over. "Diana said you were being stubborn about tonight's attire." The unexpected subject took me aback.

"Excuse me? What's wrong with that?" I pointed angrily at my only dress hanging on the closet door, incidentally 47 was the only other person who had seen it. He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head.

"You have to blend in Perry. That will not help you achieve that." I straightened up growling in frustration.

"What are you getting at 47?" I stood up, he towered over me still.

"There's something in the closet for you. I'll see you at the party." I ground my teeth as he turned to leave, my nerves and anger getting the better of me.

"If we're talking about blending in, that tattoo of yours can't do you any favours." He shot me a venomous look over his shoulder, and my blood turned cold as I realised I'd gone too far.

"Just get ready. It's going to be a long night."

…..

I tugged at the top of the dress 47 had got me self consciously, a strong sense of de-ja-vu in my mind as I walked towards the extravagant Parisian home of famous actor Timothy Falon. When I had first been told who the recruiter was I had been shocked, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. He was charismatic, an influential voice in the media and had abundant wealth and power. It would be enough to seduce any successful candidate into joining their ranks.

I gripped onto my lucky coin I was keeping in the purse that had come with the dress. I rubbed my thumb over the raised lettering 'Merces Leitfer', lethal trade. It was certainly that, and I was about to take my first official outing in the field.

"Good evening Peregrine." I jumped several feet in the air at the sound of Diana's voice in my ear. That was weird, now I knew how they felt. I pushed gently on the earpiece nestled in my left ear. The sensation would take some getting used to, and I had to be conscious about speaking to her in public.

"47 is already at the location. Your meeting with Timothy Falon is set for 9pm, we will be watching." The last part could have been taken as a comfort or a threat; I would decide later which one it was.

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards the large front door where other guests dressed in their finery were headed. I say walked, I teetered as 47 had stolen my normal comfy flats and had left a red, satin pair of high heels to match my dress. Mentally I listed the ways I would kill him later. The dress he had bought me was nice, it was more than nice actually; it was a knee length red 50's style dress with wide shoulder straps. As evening dresses went it was understated and simple, probably the exact thing I would have chosen if forced at gunpoint to pick. I didn't know anything about fashion or clothes, but I knew enough to tell it was expensive. I had resolved to return it to him when we were done here, if I didn't ruin it by getting killed that is.

A live band was playing somewhere in the mansion, the music audible from outside. The chatter of guests increased in volume with it as I made it to the door. A pair of bouncers looked me up and down as I struggled to stay upright in front of them, one of them leered at me I chose to ignore him. Turning to the other bouncer I gripped the coin in my purse tightly, as I stammered, "The name is Morgan Williams, I'm on the guest list."

I had no need of an alias here; I wasn't technically undercover. Cicada were expecting me, still the use of my real name made me uneasy and very paranoid. The bouncer scanned his the list on the tablet he was holding, while his partner stared at my legs. I gave him a cold look over my shoulder as I waited impatiently for them to let me in. Eventually the bouncer looked up and nodded at me, "You're here, have a good night." He smiled at me professionally, his partner winked at me. Clenching my fist around the coin I was holding I attempted to march purposefully into the mansion. All I managed was to nearly twist my ankle as the treacherous shoes gave way under me.

I was about to fall flat on my face in an unattractive heap, when I felt a strong hand grip my elbow steadying me. 47's blue eyes were slightly creased in amusement. My breathing grew a little erratic as I saw him in his tuxedo for the first time. His face was neutral, all trace of our disagreement earlier gone.

"Watch your step Miss." He gave me a charming smile, so he was playing the charismatic stranger was he? Well I wasn't going to let him off that easily. Extracting my arm from his grasp I gave him a faux smile back.

"Apologies, someone insisted I wear these stupid, impractical shoes." His mouth twitched, I continued not willing to drop it just yet. "Don't worry, I'll get my own back later." His smile turned into a grin. It was amazing how much his face changed with the unusual expression, even though I knew it was an act.

"I'm sure you will…Miss?" My eyes narrowed at him, he didn't break character once.

"Williams, Morgan Williams." I saw his eyes soften slightly at the sound of my real name.

"Please to meet you, my name is Tobias Rieper." My heart jolted at the mention of his old alias. Flash backs to our first meeting taking over my mind. With a cheeky grin I stated, "Tobias….that's an interesting name." For a brief moment his eyes glinted with something I hadn't seen before, my insides turned molten. Then before we could delve any further into the weird, role-playing cycle we had got ourselves into, a voice spoke into our ears.

"Can you two stop flirting and focus on the task in hand." There was definitely humour in Diana's voice, like she was fighting hard not to laugh at something. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my head. The look in 47's eyes returned to hardened steel, and he gave a curt nod. The winning smile was still fixed on his face, but I knew we were pretending again now.

"Maybe I'll see you later Miss Williams?" I nodded dumbly at him; he proceeded to walk past me into the crowd. Just as he got in front of me, his shoulder brushing lightly against me, he leant in slightly and whispered so only I could hear.

"Red suits you." My blush probably matched my dress, before I could respond he had melted into the background. Letting out a big sigh, what had all that been about? I made my slow way from the hallway into the packed main living area of the mansion. The place was huge; it obviously belonged to someone who liked to put on a show. The massive living area had a stage built on one side, the band were in full swing and I couldn't see the floor for people dancing. On the other side there was a bar setup underneath a sweeping staircase leading the upper floors. Well, one thing was for sure this guy had the money to make Cicada a force to be reckoned with.

I craned my neck searching for 47 in amongst the part goers, but he had completely vanished. I turned my efforts to looking for Timothy Falon; my research into Cicada 3301's recruiter had turned up some interesting stuff. He was the father of the late Deedee Falon, the singer my old boss Dom Johnson had driven to suicide. Meaning Timothy had been the client for his contract. I didn't put this down to a coincidence; if Cicada were as powerful as they made out they couldn't have dealt with Johnson in their own way. They had enlisted the ICA's help for a reason; I was hoping to get the answers tonight.

I was beginning to lose hope of ever spotting my target when Diana's voice interrupted my search. "That is Timothy Falon, by the bar Peregrine." He was a handsome man for sure; I had seen his films, rugged and suave in an older gentleman kind of way. He was talking animatedly to some guests by the bar, the people around him were glued to his every word. The life of the party. My eyes followed him as he moved away into the sea of dancing bodies, a familiar figure caught my attention on the opposite side of the room to me. 47 was also watching Timothy, but he locked eyes with me as he became aware of me staring. I gestured slightly with my hand indicating I was going to try and get closer, he nodded and watched as I weaved my way towards Timothy.

He was holding court in the center of the dance floor, I felt somewhat out of place I had never been to many parties, period, let alone an A list celebrity's party. A few of the guests gave me sideways glances; fortunately 47's dress seemed to be working as none of them sneered at me, just looked a little curious. I stood awkwardly on the dance floor, trying to maintain a safe distance from the host. Swaying half heartedly, I noted how I definitely wasn't cut out for this fieldwork malarkey as the curious guests started to give me very odd looks. Give me my computer and headset any day.

"These days it's hard to find a good cleaner." Luckily for me Timothy was talking loud enough for the whole room to hear him. He was practically shouting at a well-dressed man, he looked like a politician, his eyes darting around to see who was in earshot of their conversation. "You know half of them are too lazy to do a good job, and the other half can't speak any god-damn English." Timothy laughed loudly at his own comment, the politician looked uneasy. The conversation appeared banal, if not a little offensive, but I was good at gathering intel and a fact that seemed irrelevant was usually the one to pay attention to.

I edged closer as Timothy's voice dipped in volume. "It's people like them you need to keep an eye on Senator." His voice was furtive, as if trying to relay an important point. I leaned in. "The new bill will help I'm sure, even after the unfortunate case of Congressman Thomas' untimely demise." My heart picked up pace. I took a good look at the politician talking to Timothy, he looked nervous, unsure of the situation. Was this Gregory Thomas' replacement?

The two men were unaware of my presence nearby, but a number of other guests were definitely giving me funny looks now. I realised then that everyone else was in pairs, as the band was playing a slow, romantic song. I mentally face palmed myself, I was swaying on my own in the center of the floor like a loon. My eyes found 47, still looking at me from the edge of the dance floor, his arms folded. His mouth was twisted in a funny smirk, as if he was trying his hardest not to laugh. I had never seen him look that amused before, and I scowled childishly back at him. At least he didn't seem annoyed at my awful attempts to blend in.

I was just about to reluctantly slink off away from the interesting interaction between Timothy and his guest, when 47 uncrossed his arms and made his way over to me. I froze, what was he doing? We weren't supposed to be seen together. He stopped a few feet from me, the smirk still apparent on his face.

"It appears you're missing a partner Miss Williams." He held his arms open, inviting me to dance. I was pretty sure my eyebrows disappeared I raised them so high. A few of the guests that had been giving me odd looks, kept glancing at 47 as he waited for my response. I could see a few of the women looking at me enviously; I must admit he did cut a dashing figure in his tuxedo. I knew he was only offering to keep me near to Timothy, but my stomach still did a flip-flop as he gently took hold of my hands and pulled me towards him. Expertly, he steered me closer to the two men, one arm wrapping around my waist the other holding my hand firmly.

"I didn't know you could dance." I murmured in a low voice, he gently moved me in a circle. I looked up at his face; one of his eyebrows was quirked slightly as he looked down his nose at me. Even with heels I still only came to his chin, he always made me feel like a dwarf. I knew he was trying to help, but this unnatural proximity to him was making it hard to focus on the conversation going on nearby. He was compensating for my instability by holding me up by the waist; I almost appeared elegant dancing with him in heels.

"People are beginning to question the bill Mr Falon." The politician sounded nervous, I was amazed they were having this chat surrounded by people. Glancing up at my dancing partner I could tell 47 was listening too, although no one nearby would have suspected. His blue eyes were locked on me, but they had a slightly distant look to them. Timothy wrapped an arm round the other man's shoulder.

"Senator Hall, I don't think it will be a problem. The bill has your vote right?" The Senator nodded obediently. Falon smiled widely at him. "Good, I'm glad. You're a valuable member of the team Hall. We're are achieving great things here." The Senator started to look a little sick, gripping his drink tightly he stared ahead not looking at Timothy. "A pilgrim always finds bumps in the road, it's how he deals with them that matters." He squeezed Senator Hall's shoulder and released it, walking away through the crowd.

I was staring at 47's chin, not daring to show anyone my face in case they knew I was eavesdropping. I wasn't as skilled an actor as our host or my partner. 47 brought his head down so that his mouth was next to my ear.

"I think that Senator is a new recruit like you." I glanced sideways at the man left alone in the middle of the dance floor. The other guests were giving him odd looks now, after standing still for a moment he drained the rest of his drink and marched quickly off the floor and towards the exit. I watched him leave, a knot in my stomach at the thought of my impending one to one with Timothy.

"I don't think he's happy about it though." I whispered back. The song ended and our reason for being there had disappeared. 47 released me from his embrace; I would have been disappointed if it wasn't for the nervous tension building inside me. He regarded me briefly, noting my distant expression. So quick I wasn't sure it had happened he reached for my hand again, giving it a slight squeeze. I looked at his face, his blue eyes the tiniest bit earnest as they looked at me.

"You've got me." He reminded me in a low voice, before turning and walking a safe distance from me.

"It's almost nine o'clock Peregrine." Diana's voice made me jump slightly, but no one turned from their dancing. I watched 47's retreating back a second longer, building up the courage, before I turned and looked around searching for Timothy. He was standing on the stairs behind the bar. I noticed with a start that he was looking straight at me, his expression not so friendly anymore. Seeing I had spotted him, he nodded slowly and began to walk up the stairs. I took this as my cue to follow him.

With one last look around for 47, I made my way towards the stairs. The assassin had disappeared, I only hoped he was watching from the shadows as I ascended the stairs. Two bodyguards met me half way round the gently curving staircase. They didn't say anything just flanked me as I continued up.

"47 isn't far away Peregrine, this could be our only chance to get the information we need on Cicada. Good luck." Diana sounded worried as she reminded me of the awful situation I was about to get myself into. I only hoped we had covered our tracks enough for them not to suspect the ICA were watching.

I finally reached the second floor, a normal looking corridor with bedrooms and bathrooms leading of it presented itself to me. If you could call a corridor in a famous actor's Parisian home normal. The bodyguards indicated for me to enter a room just off from the stairs, I obliged trying to keep my cool. I walked into a large personal office; Timothy was stood facing away from me behind a large desk, his hands clasped behind his back. If he was trying to look like a Bond villain, he was doing a superb job.

Slowly he turned around and gestured to a chair opposite him. I sat down tentatively, looking over my shoulder as the two bodyguards stood outside the room and shut the door hiding them from view. I swallowed nervously as I suddenly felt well and truly alone. Timothy gave me a small smile as I looked back at him.

"Hello Judas, so glad to hear you changed your mind on joining our little gang." He moved around the desk towards me, I involuntarily leant back in the chair as the barrier between us disappeared. With a wolfish grin he lowered his head to the same level as mine. "I am known as the recruiter. Any successful candidates come to me for initiation." His grin widened, and my stomach clenched in fear. "Shall we begin pilgrim?"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/U: Bit more violence in this one guys, just a warning. Enjoy. :)**

Chapter 19

His face was inches from mine, I resisted the urge to try and escape the chair I was sat in. This whole scenario was completely bizarre, and that's what made it so terrifying. I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen, and more to the point I had ended up in an all too familiar situation. True, I wasn't tied to the chair this time, but it still bared an uncomfortable resemblance to my last encounter with a member of Cicada.

Timothy straightened up, giving me space to breath. I couldn't read his face; to anyone observing this from the outside he looked friendly enough, smiling warmly at me. However, my uncanny ability to read people meant I saw something entirely different, a predator circling its prey. He leant casually against the desk, observing me for a moment.

"Do you know why we do these initiations Morgan?" The anonymity of my codename had always given me a sense of comfort when doing my job, I really didn't like hearing my real name in a situation like this. I didn't respond to his question, just stared blankly at him.

He sighed pushing off from the desk and moving back round to the other side. I felt a little better with the solid wood barrier between us. "We need to make sure potential candidates are on the same page as us." He began to look around in one of the draws in front of him. "Cicada 3301 is an elite group of the most intelligent, forward thinking in our society. We don't discriminate those from a more unfortunate background, that's why we do our anonymous tests, to find the best." He withdrew his hand from the drawer, I tensed, not sure what he had in his hand. It was a smart phone; I frowned in confusion as he placed it on the desk between us.

"This comes at a cost however, we can't be sure once a candidate has completed the test whether they will be truly loyal to our cause. That's where I come in." He flashed a charming smile at me; it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes narrowed at me as I sat there in silence, letting him talk.

"You're an odd one Morgan, I'll admit. You were more than capable when you nearly finished our test a few years ago, and now...well, you'd be an invaluable asset to the group. But you work for a very powerful, very old organisation that conflicts with our objectives." He looked down at his hands, examining them. "I've never done an initiation quite like this. I'm kind of looking forward to it." His eyes glinted with malice, the smile stretching his face making me genuinely terrified.

Every muscle in my body was tense, my fight or flight instincts beginning to kick in. I could feel in my gut something awful was about to happen, my only comfort was that Diana was watching. Timothy Falon slid the phone towards me and I stared at it nonplussed.

"It's fairly simple really, we give you a choice. You prove to us that the cause matters above all else. Now I have my doubts about you, not only did you fail to fully complete the test you did, proving you don't really have the spine for this, you also got one of our members killed when you refused to join." I locked eyes with him at this, my tongue loosening at the memory of what Greg had done.

"Your 'member' was threatening my friend. Forgive me if I didn't except the invite immediately whilst he was holding a gun to her head." Timothy smirked at my sudden outburst.

"So you do speak. That's a relief, this was going to be a lot harder with you refusing to talk." I glared at him, I didn't like where this was going, I needed to steer the conversation in the right direction.

"Look, I've told you I'll cooperate and help you infiltrate the ICA. Why do we need to do this?"

Timothy's face darkened, "Because Cicada hasn't got to where it is trusting people based on their words." He reached across the desk and took my hand suddenly. He gripped tightly as I tried to pull it away instinctively; firmly he placed the smart phone in my hand. "We trust people on their actions Morgan. No exceptions."

I looked down at the nondescript phone, it's black screen reflecting my uncertain face back at me. I was going to have to play along if I wanted to get any information out of him.

"What do I do?" My voice came out smaller than I intended it to. Tentatively I woke the phone up from sleep mode and examined the screen. It had a very sparse home page, all that was shown was the time and one app I didn't recognise. Timothy sat down in the chair opposite me, folding his arms across his chest.

"Open the app." My finger was shaking ever so slightly as I pressed on the app icon. A chat screen opened up, it was empty. A few seconds went by, then a symbol appeared showing someone was typing. Frowning I waited as the three dots danced up and down.

 _Hello? Who is this?_

I looked up sharply at Timothy, "What is this? Who am I talking to?" He leant forward, smiling a cruel smile.

"You like helping people online Morgan. Using your skills to aid others, very noble, very…righteous." I gave him a venomous look; he ignored me and continued, clearly enjoying himself. "Well, this person is in need of a little assistance. I think you know him." I looked back down at the phone, completely perplexed.

 _Hello, my name is Peregrine what's yours?_

I didn't want to use my real name more than I had to, I had no idea who this was or what they were to Cicada.

 _What kind of a name is Peregrine? My name is Andy Stuart, I don't know where I am but I can't move right now._

My stomach dropped. It was Andy, from the newspaper. I gave Timothy a withering stare. "Why have you got my friend? Wasn't threatening one enough?" He smiled sweetly at me, a faux innocent expression on his face.

"We're not threatening him Morgan. If you do what we ask he will walk away unharmed. If not…well, then yes I guess we are threatening him."

I had not expected this, a test yes, but not one with someone I cared about in danger. Resigned to what I had to do I quietly asked, "What do I have to do?"

Timothy clapped his hands together, rubbing them gleefully. "This one's a doozy, trust me. Right now your pal Andy is strapped to a metal chair in an undisclosed location. In about ten minutes a laptop will set off a charge also attached to his chair, sending 3,000 volts through him." My blood ran cold, once again I had inadvertently put my friend in danger. Timothy registered my shock, his expression turning to one of reassurance. "There's nothing to worry about Morgan, he will be fine. As long as you post the identity of your assigned agent at the ICA."

I looked down at the phone again, it suddenly felt like it weighed a ton in my hand. "Easy, if you really have decided to leave the ICA for us that is." He was watching me, his face deadly, all trace of the showman gone. I was backed into a corner, there was little I could do now except watch my friend die or betray the agency.

 _Hello, are you still there?_

Andy's message jolted me into action. I quickly typed back.

 _Yes, what can you see around you?_

 _I am on a chair, there's a phone in front of me, which I am talking to. I am in a warehouse I think, it's really dark here. There's a laptop to one side of me, I can see it's screen, it's counting down._

I was staring icily at Timothy as I spoke to Andy.

 _What's the time on it?_

 _9:20. Now 9:17, now 9:14. It's counting down 9 minutes._

I didn't have long to think about my solution. I had come prepared with false information on the ICA, in case this kind of scenario presented itself. However, judging by the brutal setup of this test I had a feeling Cicada knew I was a spy. I had to try though.

"How do I release the information?" Timothy raised his eyebrows.

"You're meant to be a genius with computers, you use the phone of course. There's a USB adapter there." He gestured to a device sitting on the desk; I grabbed it and plugged it into the phone.

"Shall we make this a little more interesting?" I didn't really want anything else added to this already stressful situation, but I got the impression Timothy had asked a rhetorical question. He turned to a large flat screen television in the corner of the office and without me seeing him push any buttons, Andy appeared on it terrified and beaten, tied to a metal chair.

My heart stuttered painfully at the sight of his disheveled form. The camera was pointed directly at his face, and he was looking down the lens. I guess the phone was filming him, and it was voice recognition to type out the messages I was receiving. I could just about see the laptop he had mentioned casting a blue light over the horrific scene.

"There you go, you can see him now." Timothy's voice had a mocking edge to it that made me want to break his stupid face. "Better get uploading if you want him to stay safe." There was an evil glint in his eyes as he watched me. Fumbling slightly, I reached into my purse and withdrew the USB with the false intel on it. Preying I could get this past them, after all they had no idea who anyone looked like in the agency, apart from me of course, I downloaded the data onto the phone.

 _It's okay Andy, I'm going to get you out of this. Just stay calm._

My gaze flicked briefly to his face as I sent the message, I could see him breathing in and out slowly trying to act on my words. "Stay calm Peregrine." Diana's sudden bid for me to copy Andy startled me. I saw Timothy give me an odd look as I tried to style out my weird behavior. In my panic I had forgotten she was still watching. The data had transferred to the phone, and I looked up expectantly at Timothy. He rolled his eyes, nodding towards the phone.

"Send it via the app." I looked at the chat screen and saw an attach icon. Hesitantly I clicked on it, uploading my files and hitting send.

I saw the laptop next to Andy change colour; the files I had sent appeared on the screen. Turning to Timothy, I folded my arms.

"There, happy? Let him go." My confidence was a flimsy façade even I was managing to see through. He was looking down at a phone he had produced from his pocket. His brow creased as he scrolled through what I assumed were the files I had just delivered. He shook his head slowly, mock disappointment on his face.

"Oh Morgan, Morgan, Morgan." I uncrossed my arms slowly as my heart started to sink. "Did you really think we were that stupid?" His demeanor was menacing now as he came to stand beside me again. "The _real_ identity of your agent please. It really isn't much to ask if you want to join us." His face darkened further, "Although I'm not convinced you do."

 _Sorry, the screen changed for a moment then but now it's back to the countdown. It's on 6:45 now._

I stared helplessly at Andy's message; Timothy reached across his desk and shoved a laptop towards me now. "You haven't got long Morgan, compromise a man you've only know for five minutes, or let your good friend of four years die a horrible death? Your choice." He shrugged nonchalantly, at his last remark.

My brain was a swirling mess, I had no idea what to do. I couldn't let Andy get fried on my account, but there was no way I could reveal 47's identity without massive repercussions.

"I'm sorry Perry." Diana's stress was showing as she used my nickname for the first time. It was also a signal to what the agency expected me to do. I couldn't say I was surprised as they would put the secrecy of their operatives above human life, but this was my friend not her's. I pulled up the ICA's intranet page on the laptop Timothy had given me, my fingers hovering over the keyboard as I contemplated logging in. An internal battle was raging inside me, I didn't want to see my friend die, but if I did as Cicada asked not only would the agency turn against me completely, I would never see 47 again.

The sudden strength of loss I felt at the very thought of not seeing him again knocked me back. If I had been struggling before with what I felt about him, and wondering why I had even agreed to this drastic change in my life, then I was left in no doubt now. In my own weird way I cared for him deeply. I knew he would never feel the same way back, but I couldn't ignore what my heart was telling me as I threatened to hand him over to this unknown, potentially dangerous group of people. I closed my eyes, gathering strength for what I was about to do. I was going to risk the mission, risk my life and kill my friend. But my heart had decided for me; to live without 47 wouldn't be living at all.

I closed the laptop slowly, and fixed Timothy with a cold, hard stare. The shock in his eyes told me that he hadn't been prepared for this outcome. "He _will_ die Morgan." A lonely tear rolled down my cheek as I remained as still as possible. Timothy's expression turned to one of rage. "He will die!" I clenched my fists on top of the closed laptop and turned my attention to the screen. If I was going to be responsible for his death, then I was damn well going to watch it happen.

The countdown on the laptop beside him was just visible. 2:30 left. He was struggling against his bonds, the chair rocking from side to side. I could hear the phone next to me pinging as his cries for help came through. I didn't want to look at it. 1:20, the time ticked by slowly. My heart was thudding painfully in my chest now, I thought it was going to break free at any point. Timothy watched me, a look of unbridled anger focused on me.

"You will regret this." He spat at me, but my eyes were locked on the screen as the seconds counted down.

5…4…3…2…1

Andy convulsed suddenly, his back arching unnaturally. I could feel more tears rolling down my cheeks as my nails dug into the flesh of my palms. Smoke started to rise from his body, and I resisted the urge to scream at the top of my lungs and run from the room. I had done this, this was my doing. Eventually, after what seemed like an age, his body slumped forward, lifeless.

 _I'm so sorry Andy,_ I thought to myself. "Well done Peregrine." Diana's calm, encouragement didn't help utter disgust I felt for myself. I closed my eyes letting the tears fall freely now; no sound escaped my mouth though. I placed my head in my hands, the wounds from my fingernails starting to bead blood. I didn't care; there was no going back now.

Where was he? Where was 47? I didn't know what was going to happen now, but my body wouldn't move. I heard Timothy quietly walk around behind me. I stayed still, excepting whatever happened next. I had remained loyal to the agency and my agent; I had done my duty. I felt the air move by my head, but all I could picture was Andy's twitching body as he died.

I felt the hit on the back of my skull momentarily and then everything went black.

….

My head felt like a hammer had cracked it open, I could taste dust in my mouth as I slowly came round. As I tried to sit up I realised my hands were tied behind my back, and my legs were tucked up underneath me bound by the ankles. Taking in my surroundings I saw I was lying on my side on the floor of a basement. I could see dust covered wine barrels; I guessed this was Timothy Falon's wine cellar below his mansion.

I craned my neck, trying to see more than the limited view of the floor I currently had. There were lots of wine barrels, what looked like a computer setup to my right; I could see cables and the bottom of a tower, and a pair of well shod feet to my left. I jumped at the last one and started to struggle. This provoked the feet to move around so they were directly in front of me. A distant voice echoed in the otherwise silent basement.

"Please don't struggle Morgan. It will only waste your energy." Timothy sounded his normal, happy self again. I wondered how long I had been unconscious for, was the party over? I couldn't hear any distant music, suddenly I realised my left ear felt oddly empty. My earpiece, it was gone. The hopelessness pressed in on me, without Diana's presence, and no idea where 47 was, I had little chance of getting out of this alive.

My captor leant down and grasped my shoulders, I wanted to recoil from the unwelcome contact, but having my limbs tied up kind of limited my options. He moved me so I was sat upright facing him, he had squatted down to be level with me, his smile made me want to throw up.

"Are you going to cooperate now Morgan? We tried it the easy way, now am I going to have to get all tough love with you?" I glared at him, I had zero power in my position but I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"That was the easy way? You just killed an innocent man." The memory of Andy's recent death brought a hard lump to my throat, and I had to choke it down for fear of breaking into unattractive sobs in front of this maniac. His eyes glinted with something deadly as he assessed my defiance.

"That was the easy way, yes. Do we need to make this worse?" I shook my head, fighting away the tears. _Not here, not now._

"I'm not telling you who my agent is." I spat the words at him. He just smiled a slow smile at me.

"Oh, that won't be necessary now Morgan." He tightened his grip on me as he span me round on the floor to face away from him. My eyes widened in utter shock. "He delivered himself to us on your behalf."

47 was tied up, his hands lifted well above his head by a chain. He looked a little beaten, his tuxedo jacket gone, his white shirt ripped part way open, slightly stained with blood. I was alarmingly unsure whether it was his blood, or someone else's. He was looking at me, his eyes the same calm, cool blue they always were. Timothy moved round to stand between us, I watched as 47's eyes flicked to him, a deadly edge to them.

"Ahhhh, isn't this lovely? Together again." He grinned broadly, looking from me to 47, ignoring the assassin's stare. I didn't know what to do? How had they even captured him? My eyes held this question as I looked at 47. His expression remained impassive, but I could see a hint of relief as he looked at me. I wasn't sure how to place that strange look, as Timothy turned his attention back to me.

"So, are you going to play nice?" Every fiber of my being wanted to tear him limb from limb, but in my current state I could only glare at him.

"What do you want?" Timothy paused for moment, regarding me coldly. Suddenly he reached down and hauled me to my feet. I wobbled unsteadily due to my ankles being tied together; he gripped my shoulder painfully keeping me upright. Mercifully, my heels were no longer on my feet. I saw 47's face darken as he zeroed in on Timothy's fingers digging into my flesh.

"What I want Morgan is for you to give me back what you stole from Cicada." I frowned at him.

"And what would that be?" He rolled his eyes theatrically and sighed in exasperation.

"The surveillance program you deleted of course. For a computer genius you sure act dumb." His jovial attitude was putting me on edge, after what had happened upstairs I was quite aware of what these people were capable of. The unsettling image of 47 incapacitated was making me uneasy too.

"I can't do that." I tried to stare Timothy down; his mouth was set in a firm line.

"You can't? Or you won't? You saw the code Morgan, and we both know that means you can recreate it." We continued to stare unblinking at each other. After what he had put me through I wasn't going to give in easily. The last thing I wanted was for that awful program to be at Cicada's disposal.

"No." His lip curled in anger at my defiance, and with a forceful shove he pushed me back to the floor with a thud.

"Wrong answer." He clicked his fingers, looking down at me with an awful expression of rage. "I do abhor resorting to violence, and I really can't be seen to get my hands dirty, you understand?" A large, heavyset bodyguard walked in and stood next to Timothy. My heart began to pump with adrenaline as my body sensed danger. My gaze locked onto the large hammer the bodyguard was holding in one hand. I could see 47's eyes were also looking at the aggressive object, a murderous expression on his face.

Timothy gave the bodyguard a small nod, and he leant over to grasp my legs firmly. With a decisive pull he stretch them straight, and raised the hammer above his head. My forehead was beading cold sweat as I realised what was about to happen. Before I could scream or cry out, the bodyguard swung down with all his strength striking me on the knee. I heard the sickening crack before I felt the white hot pain rushing through my leg. I cried out with a loud sob, twisting away from the bodyguard's grasp. Tears streamed down my face as the pain consumed me.

Timothy squatted down beside me again, his voice low and menacing. "That was your first warning Morgan. I really don't want to give you another." I blinked back the tears blurring my vision and tried to focus on my situation. We needed a way out of here. My eyes found 47, and the pain in my leg dulled slightly as I saw the most terrifying expression on his face. All his attention was focused on the bodyguard as he straightened up and left the basement, swinging the weapon he had just used to disable my leg. 47's eyes never left the man once.

"Come on now, let's get you back up." My body had no fight in it now, I growled in pain as he lifted me into his arms. It was a strangely intimate position to be in with a man I hated and feared. With surprising gentleness he walked me over to the computer setup I had spotted when I woke up. The sound of a chain shaking violently signaled 47 trying to break free. I strained to look over Timothy's shoulder at the agent; he was watching us like a hawk, his eyes slightly desperate.

I turned back to the computer as Timothy lowered me into the chair set in front of it. My hands and feet were still bound and I looked expectantly at him, all traces of my bravado forgotten with the pulsating pain in my knee. He reached over me and with a knife he had suddenly produced, he cut the ties on my hands. I stretched my fingers, bringing life back to them. Staring blankly ahead at the computer screen, my body tensed only slightly, weary from the pain that had already been inflicted, as the unmistakable barrel of a gun pressed up against the base of my skull.

Timothy's voice held no argument, as he simply stated. "Start coding."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/U: Violence and swearing again, enjoy :)**

Chapter 20

My fingers stubbornly refused to type, the cold metal brushed against my hair as I tried to think clearly through the fog of pain. There was a reason I had deleted this program, and I was determined not to create it again for these psychos. I could sense Timothy's growing impatience as the pressure increased on the back my head. Strangely I wasn't that concerned with the gun aimed at me, my life had been threatened so many times now I was beginning to grow accustomed to the feeling.

"Don't try my patience." He growled at me, I remained still.

"What makes you think I would give Cicada this kind of power? You can break all the bones in my body and threaten to shoot me in the head, but I'm not coding anything for you." My voice came out steady and strong. I had assessed the danger this monitoring software could present to the world, and the least I could do for Andy was to die defending it.

"I don't have to break anything, I've got a hostage haven't I?" The barrel of the gun disappeared from my head, I frowned twisting round to face him. Timothy was standing in front of 47 the gun aimed squarely at his forehead. 47 did not look impressed by his threat. My heart lurched, _no, not again._

"You may not have cared enough about your little friend earlier, but I'm sure you'll mind if I blow a hole in the man you betrayed him for." He had got me, it wasn't the repercussions of losing my agent I was afraid of now, it was the thought of losing _him_. 47 looked away from the gun pointed at him for a moment, and locked eyes with me. There was no trace of fear or panic, just a calm, determined expression.

"Don't do what he says Morgan. I've been in worse situations." His low, familiar voice saying my name was like a soothing balm to my nerves. But the thought of never hearing it again sent an arrow of pain through me. His eyes were boring into me, relaying a message that I was struggling to understand. He turned back to stare at Timothy, the other man shaking slightly under his gaze despite the gun in his hand.

"What do you really hope to gain here? Even with us dead and the program in your procession the ICA will know you're a threat. They'll hunt you all until there's nothing left." His voice was measured, like he was simply having an interesting discussion with Timothy, not negotiating with a member of a hidden organisation holding a gun to his head. The other man looked unsure for a second, 47's sudden ability to talk clearly throwing him off balance. The confidence from my agent spurred me on, as I swiveled with some difficulty in the chair and face Timothy.

"I thought you didn't resort to violence anyway, where are your lackeys now?" There was a definite strain to my voice, Timothy's head snapped round to glare at me.

"If I were you I'd be quiet, besides shooting someone is very different to torturing them. Less mess." His mouth twisted into a horrible smile as he pressed the barrel of the gun to 47's forehead. The assassin didn't flinch as it pushed his head back, keeping an icy stare on his Timothy's face. I turned back to the computer, my knee giving out a sharp stab of protest. I had to appear to be doing something; inactivity on my part might result in a messy end for 47. I was sure he was formulating a plan, that look early had given me the impression he wanted me to do something, I only wished I could have deciphered it quicker.

I booted up the computer and thought through my options. Timothy was with Cicada, which meant he probably had a good idea what coding looked like. However, he couldn't recode the program from Dubai, so he wasn't that savvy. This computer was also probably connected to Cicada in some form, meaning I could reveal who was behind them potentially. It was my best hope of getting some kind information from this car crash of mission, the only thing I hadn't figured out was how to get the intel out.

"You know, it's a shame I might have to kill you. You did me a favour dispatching that fucking arsehole Dominic Johnson." I stiffened at the mention of my old boss, but didn't slow in my careful examination of the computer. "I was all ready to do the deed myself, but the higher ups suggested we see the extent of the ICA's reach." He paused at this and I felt his eyes on the back of my head. "They weren't to know you'd bag yourself a formidable hacker in the process." The chain rattled as 47 shifted his position.

"She chose to work for us."

Timothy chuckled under his breath, "Yeah, she sure did. It didn't make sense before, but now I'm starting to understand why an ordinary girl would want to be involved in international assassination." I resisted the urge to see 47's reaction to his pointed remark. Was it that bleeding obvious how I felt?

I had completed my investigation of the computer Timothy had down here. There were a lot of encrypted files and little trace of any outside contact with Cicada, but I had managed to uncover a nondescript email address that had been sending heavily encoded messages to him. It was my best bet at a gateway in; bringing up a coding screen I began constructing my impromptu virus. I could only hope Timothy wasn't more switched on to hacking than I had been led to believe.

"Your plan won't work." The two men were still squaring off to each other. I could practically hear Timothy bristle at 47's dismissal of Cicada.

"I don't really think you're in a position to assume that."

"The ICA has been threatened before, by more powerful people than you. And no matter how many times we do this, they always end the same way." 47's slow, methodical way of speaking always made what he said sound more ominous.

"And what way is that then?"

"With me being assigned to kill them."

Timothy snorted, "Again, I'm not exactly feeling threatened with you in your current state." The chains moved again, I imagined 47 leaning towards Timothy ignoring the gun against his head.

"This isn't going to hold me for long."

I had almost finished my virus; it wasn't perfect by any means but not bad considering my time constraints and undesirable situation. I brought up Timothy's email and setup a new message to send to the anonymous address.

 _Judas has been dealt with. The program is completed below._

I attached a link disguised as the surveillance program, but concealing my Trojan virus within. I crossed my fingers and sent it. I could only hope it went to someone higher up in Cicada.

"This is the new age of technology 47. Almost everything has a computer chip in it now, we can control the world if we want." Timothy seemed to have launched into ultimate Bond villain mode, and was boasting in front of 47. I smirked and took this moment to examine my broken knee. It was dramatically swollen, and an alarming shade of purple and red. I touched it gingerly, sending a dagger of pain through the shattered joint. Even if 47 managed to escape and we made a break for it, I doubted whether I would be able to walk, let alone run anywhere. I rested my shaking hands on the desk as I continued to listen to Timothy's rant, praying my virus would kick in soon.

"The ICA has had its day, your little friend there was the only one who had a chance at matching our hacking abilities. The rest of you can't even comprehend how much you don't know about the online world."

I risked turning my head ever so slightly to see what was happening. Timothy was still holding the gun to 47's head, but he was gesturing wildly with the other hand as he talked. 47 wasn't moving a muscle, his body was as still and calm as a millpond, his eyes locked onto Timothy. He reminded me of a crocodile watching his prey, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The computer let out a ping making me jump, I whipped my head back to look at the screen, conscious that Timothy's attention was back on me. An alert flashed in front of me, the virus had worked someone had clicked the link.

"What is that?" I heard him start to come towards me when suddenly his phone let out an alert sound. My screen started to fill with files, I had done it, the virus was locating any data on the computer it had been sent to with the reference Cicada, and was sending it straight back to me.

"What the fuck?! You little bitch." My body tensed as I realised Timothy's phone was also connected to his email, so he was receiving the same information I was. Which meant my cover was blown. I twisted to see a livid expression on his face as he stared down at the device in his hand. Our time had run out, he wasn't going to let me get away with this and I couldn't just send the intel on to Diana without it potentially being intercepted. 47 came to the same conclusion as me, I saw his eyes flick to something on the other side of the room. I followed his gaze and saw my purse lying on a table. My USB was in there.

Timothy had looked up from the torrent of Cicada intel streaming into his inbox, and was giving me a deadly look. In desperation I looked around the room for anything to defend us with, I came up blank. He began to advance on me, I only had a second to register that 47 was actually looking at his agency standard pistol resting next to my purse before Timothy had grabbed me by the hair and yanked me off the chair. I bit down on my tongue, as the simultaneous pain of my knee banging violently on the floor and my hair being ripped from its roots made me want to scream at the top of my lungs. Attracting Timothy's thugs in here any quicker wasn't going to work in our favour.

He dragged me across the floor until I was directly between the computer and 47's gun. "What have you done?" He let go of my hair, dropping my face onto the hard concrete floor. I spat blood, I had all but bitten through my tongue. Timothy had rushed over to the computer to examine my handy work, I raised myself onto my elbows and assessed the distance to the gun. It was still too far to reach, and I knew I wouldn't be able to stand. I dug my nails into the hard surface and began to slowly drag myself towards the table. I could feel 47's eyes on me as I made steady progress, Timothy was tapping furiously away at the keyboard trying to reverse what I had done. He wasn't going to able to do much, the virus had taken hold now, it would find every scrap of info and keep on sending it until I told it to stop. Moments before I had been resigned to my fate, but now my will to survive had kicked in. The table inched its way closer to me; I was going to make it.

The gunshot made me freeze instantly. I heard a muted grunt of pain and I flipped over ignoring the protest from my leg. My heart started again when I saw 47 was still alive, but I watched in silent horror as a red stain began to bloom on his shirt by his shoulder. Timothy was staring at me, the gun still smoking in his hand. He towered over me and a strong sense of helplessness started to overcome me.

"Don't you dare move." His voice was icy and quiet. I kept glancing at 47, he looked a little pained, but not overly concerned with the injury he had just been given. He looked more like a man who had stubbed his toe rather than been shot in the shoulder. Satisfied he was okay for now I kept my eyes on Timothy. His mouth was twisted into an angry grimace as he spat at me, "How do you stop it?"

I said nothing, keeping as still as I could in my awkward position. His look darkened and he pointed the gun back at 47's head. "I know you can stop it, so tell me how or I finish the job." He took a step towards me, my brain was beginning to run out of ideas. I saw 47 shift slightly, and it was then I noticed for the first time that his feet weren't tied. The plan came to me like a bolt of lightning and I was grateful the assassin was watching me not Timothy. He saw my sudden burst of revelation, and with the smallest glance down at his feet then up to Timothy, I knew he had worked it out too.

I adopted my best attempt at a defeated expression, and said in a resigned voice, "You'll need to take me back to the computer." Timothy sneered at me; he had bought my terrible acting.

"Good girl, let's not try anything like that again." He took three steps towards me, putting him directly in front of the chained up 47. I watched as the assassin leant backwards against his chains, before giving a swift, powerful kick to Timothy's gut. He went sliding across the floor, his gun skittering away from his grasp.

I didn't hesitate, I twisted back onto my stomach and pulled myself as fast as I could towards the table. I could hear Timothy scrabbling around for his gun, his shoes scrapping on the floor as he regained his footing. I had reached the rough wood of the table, desperately I reached up and hauled myself to look over the edge of it. The sound of feet running towards me made my heart race, adrenaline flooding my senses. Every tiny sound and touch was amplified; the pain in my leg was non-existent. The shiny metal of 47's pistol winked at me and I stretched my arm out to grasp it.

Time seemed to slow; I pulled the gun towards me, the weight of it familiar in my hand. Timothy's footsteps were on top of me now, and I could sense he had reached me. Pushing off from the table edge I turned myself to face my assailant, he was above me his gun aimed at my head. Without thinking I disengaged the safety on the pistol I was holding and swung it round so it was lodged under the man's chin.

His eyes widened in shock; he must have expected me to get the USB not the gun. The shock subsided as he took in our stale mate, a nasty grin spreading across his face.

"You haven't got it in you handler. That's your agent's job, not yours." His confidence at my cowardice sent a bolt of anger and adrenaline straight to my muscles. A strained smile stretched my mouth, and without a word I squeezed the trigger gently.

His head snapped back, a plume of red mist flying out the back. His eyes rolled back showing the whites, then his body collapsed on top of mine. A deathly silence filled the basement, and I gasped as his full weight pinned me to the floor.

"Morgan." 47's voice anchored me, and I searched for him. He was looking at me sandwiched underneath Timothy's dead body, his eyes steady. I stared at him dumbfounded, he shook the chain holding his hands and my sluggish brain eventually switched on enough to understand what he wanted. I freed my arm from under the dead body, the gun still clasped in it tightly. Laying my head against the floor, I closed one eye and aimed it at the chain above his head. One wrong move now and I would kill the world's greatest assassin. I breathed as slowly as the weight on my chest would allow, and looked down the barrel of the gun.

IT kicked back as I fired the shot, the compressor giving it a muted pinging sound. The chain rang out as the bullet snapped the links keeping it together. 47 let his arms fall as his feet planted themselves firmly on the floor. Quickly he untangled himself from his bonds, rotating his shoulder slightly where he had been shot. I could hear the bodyguards running towards us, the commotion finally spurring them into action. 47 strode purposefully over and lifted Timothy off me as if he was nothing. Dumping him to one side he knelt down beside me, his eyes looking me up and down, assessing the damage.

"Not so superficial this time then?" I joked, the terror of the situation making me delirious. He looked into my eyes, the familiar blue of them calming my nerves a little. But there was a definite hint of concern there.

"Are you ok Morgan?" I knew what he was getting at; it wasn't the leg or the head injury he was worried about, I had just killed my first person. I stared in sudden horrific realisation at Timothy's body next to me. 47 didn't let me dwell for too long, he gently propped me upright in a sitting position against the table. Quietly he released the pistol from my hand and stood to face the two bodyguards, leaving me tucked safely behind his legs. The two men skidded to a halt at the scene before them, unsure what to do with the now free assassin.

So quick I struggled to see him do it, 47 shot the first one in the leg incapacitating him; before the other could react he shot him with deadly precision in the head. I wondered why he hadn't just shot them both dead on sight, as the first bodyguard tried to regain his footing to face 47. Recognition hit me as I noticed he was the guard that had broken my knee with a hammer. A cold sense of dredge spread through me as 47 put down the pistol and walked menacingly towards the man.

"Fucking twat." The guard spat angrily as he swung his fist at 47, the assassin dodged it with ease and sent a crippling blow to the man's stomach. Even with a gunshot wound to his shoulder, 47 still out matched the bodyguard ten fold. He hit him with another punch driving the man to the floor. I had never seen 47 fight anyone like this before, he usually went for the most efficient kill he could, but this was brutal.

He stood over the guard and I saw the terrifying look of anger on the assassin's face, he was like a man possessed. Slowly and deliberately he reached down and grasped the guard's leg firmly. The man struggled against him, trying to kick him off but it was like watching a baby antelope fight a lion. Without looking away from the guard's face he twisted the leg into an unnatural position with a deafening crack. The guard screamed in pain as 47 dropped his leg unceremoniously, his foot pointing in a different direction to where it should. I grimaced, but part of me reveled in the man's pain after what he had done to me.

47 wasn't finished with him yet, the guard had started trying to crawl away from him but he kept pace with him, taunting him with his easy pursuit of the man. After a few moments of watching the guard whimper pathetically, the predatory look still on his face, he reached down and dragged him back between his legs.

"No please don't, I'm sorry, please." The bodyguard blubbed desperately. 47 ignored him, instead placing one hand on his chin and the other firmly on his neck. The guard let out a strangled sob as he cut off his air supply. Leaning in close to his prey's face, 47 said in quiet, steady voice loaded with venom.

"It's her you need to say sorry to." With a quick movement, 47 pulled the guard's head round snapping his neck cleanly. The bodyguard went limp under him.

The assassin straightened up and turned to look at me, the possessed look in his eyes disappearing. The basement was silent again, no more guards approaching. My body relaxed, the pain in my knee washing over me once more. I strange sobbing sound filled the air, and there was a moment of confusion in my mind before I realised it was me. 47 slowly walked over to me, his hands raised. It took me a second to understand he was trying not to scare me, but he was the last person I was scared of right now.

"Can I lift you?" He asked in his monotone voice, I nodded eager to feel something other than the cold, concrete floor beneath me. He raised me off the ground, his grip warm and secure. Holding me close to his chest, he turned as if to leave the basement. I clutched his arm, careful not to touch the gunshot wound. He looked down at me, his face searching mine questioningly. I pointed towards my purse.

"The intel, I still need to get it." He raised an eyebrow at me, back to normal. He didn't question me, it was the reason we came after all. Gently he lowered me slightly so I could grab the purse containing the USB and the coin he had given me all those months ago. I held it tightly to me, and nodded towards the computer. He obeyed by walking across the room toward it, careful not to jostle me too much. It amazed me in those rare times, how such a deadly killing machine could be so gentle when he needed to be. Hands that only moments ago had broken bones unaided, were now cradling me like I was made of porcelain.

Again he held me away from him so I could reach the computer tower and inserted my USB into it. Quickly I downloaded all the information my virus had retrieved, and stopped it before reclaiming my memory stick, storing it carefully in my purse.

"Okay." I winced as the pain in my knee began to gain strength. 47 brought me back towards him and held me firmly in place as he strode from that awful basement. Leaving the three corpses staring blankly after us. There was silence throughout the mansion as he quietly made his way to the exit, every step no matter how careful he was made me nauseous with the pain. We were in the living area again, the place dark and eerie now everyone was gone. I gripped him tightly, he shot me a worried look as we made our way towards the front door.

Outside the Paris street was empty, except for a sleek black Audi parked on the curb. My vision began to blur as the pain consumed my whole body. A familiar figure got out of the car as we approached. I just had a chance to see Diana's concerned face before the pain overwhelmed me and I blacked out.


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

I woke up in a hospital. The glaring, white walls making me think I was dead for a second, before the IV needle and hospital gown I was dressed in, brought me back to reality. I pushed myself upright, taking in my unfamiliar surroundings. A tugging sensation on my leg drew my attention to it. It was covered in plaster and suspended on a stirrup above the bed to stop me jostling it. I rubbed my eyes, the drugs in my system slowing my senses. I was in a private room, it looked like a high end hospital as well. The décor was calming and elegant, apart from the IV drip and hospital bed it could have been a hotel room. A large window was on one side, I didn't recognise the view. Some unknown city, in an unknown country.

I cast my gaze round to the other side of the room and nearly fell out of the bed in fright. 47 was sat in the chair beside me, his red tie loosened at the neck, his suit jacket was resting on the back of the chair and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. He was very still, his eyes closed, but I wasn't convinced he was asleep. I leant towards him, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. After a moment one blue eye opened to stare at me, his mouth twitched at my intent expression. Slowly he opened the other eye and straightened up in the chair.

"Nice nap?" I shot at him, my mouth stretching into a cheeky grin. His half smile appeared, and he clasped his hands together, resting them on his knees.

"It was okay. Yours?" I glanced at my trussed up leg.

"How long was I out?" He turned to look at a clock on the wall behind him.

"Two days, twelve hours and fifteen minutes." His eyes creased at my shocked expression.

"Wow, that's the longest I've ever slept." My tongue felt sore and too big for my mouth, but it wasn't too painful. My knee throb steadily within the cast, the sharp, unbearable pain I had felt before was gone. 47 waited patiently for me to complete my physical assessment, tentatively feeling myself all over. My hand reached round the back of my head and touched a sensitive lump; that must have been the place Timothy had knocked me out. Satisfied all my limbs were still attached, just, I turned my attention back to the assassin sat beside me.

"Okay?" He asked, barely concealed amusement in his voice. I frowned at him.

"I think so. Have you been there the entire time?"

"No." I tried to ignore the twinge of disappointment at his response. I would have to deal with the inconvenient feelings that had come to the surface at some point; my relationship with 47 had to remain professional. "I had to leave for two hours earlier to meet with Diana." A brief flash of a proper smile transformed his face, but it had gone as quickly as it had arrived.

My eyes narrowed, "Did you just tease me?" I took the one raised eyebrow as a yes. I leant back against the pillows, the morphine making me weary. A sudden thought made me jolt back up.

"The intel?" 47 nodded, his expression becoming serious again. He reached down beside the chair and pulled up my laptop. Gently he passed it to me, I slid it onto my lap.

"We looked through it. There's some interesting stuff in there." I opened my computer, the familiarity of the desktop making me relax.

"There's definitely one thing I learnt from our adventure." I said, giving 47 a sideways look. "I do not intend to go into the field again anytime soon." I lovingly stroke my laptop, solidifying my promise. 47 chuckled, the sound was alien and I stared at him open mouthed. He was smiling a kind smile at me, not pretending, a proper friendly smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"I think I can agree with you there Perry." We shared the companionable moment for a few seconds, for the first time since becoming his handler I felt like we understood each other completely. I turned my attention back to my laptop; the desktop had a number of new files on it. My bounty from the basement from hell. I began to flick through them, there were reams of intel on future projects; a plan to infiltrate all internet providers to control the internet itself, confirmation of the bill to legalise citizen monitoring and a design for a program to divert all electronic forms of money in banks around the world.

I gave a low whistle at the information I had digested so far. "These guys are serious." I saw 47 nodding in my peripheral vision.

"Some of those files reveal key members in Cicada. My meeting with Diana was her confirming the board have cleared us to take them out." I looked at my agent quizzically.

"Us?" His eyes locked with mine, unblinking.

"The board has acknowledged your bravery and ingenuity in the field, by clearing you for active duty again." Relief washed over me, even after everything I had been through, the things I had done and the people I had lost I still couldn't wait to start doing my job again.

"Good." I stated simply. 47 stood slowly taking the jacket from the back of the chair, and walking to the end of my bed.

"You've been given a month bed rest. We will complete the contracts, once you feel you're able." He paused for a moment, looking down at my plaster cast. "Perry, Diana told me to tell you if you need to talk to anyone about Timothy she is there to listen." He looked at me, his expression very serious. "Not many handlers have experienced killing a person themselves, she is understanding of what that might have done to you. As am I." I cocked my head to one side, a small smile on my face.

"I'm ok 47. It was necessary at the time, and he killed my friend. An eye for an eye and all." He half smiled at me.

"Indeed, it was a good shot. You never cease to amaze me Peregrine, I'm proud of you." I grinned at him, my cheeks coloring slightly at his praise.

"I'll await your instruction Perry." He gave me a piercing look as he turned and exited my hospital room.

I let the solitude close in on me, sorting through my thoughts. I had a lot to think about, Cicada was still at large but we had a realistic chance to take them down now. A spike of excitement shot through me at the thought of avenging Andy. There was no denying I was a changed person now, the girl that had met Tobias Rieper nearly 18 months ago no longer existed. Instead a confident, toughened stranger sat in her place already planning her next contract in her head.

I flicked through the other files searching for anything else of interest, a strong sense of determination taking me over. Whatever challenge awaited me I would always endeavor to do the right thing.

I was grinning to myself when a new message appeared in my inbox. Unmarked. My heart lurched as I clicked on the box and the ominous symbol of a Cicada dominated the screen. I read the message below, clearly written this time, a warning to me about the agency.

A slow feeling of horror spread through me, sweeping away the confident assurance that had been there a moment before. This couldn't be real, they were lying to me. Even the ICA wasn't capable of what Cicada was accusing them of. The incriminating words of the message burned into my retinas, my blood turning to ice.

If what Cicada had sent me was true, then it changed everything I had thought about the agency. Slowly I closed my laptop and stared at the closed door in front of me, planning my next move.

To be continued…

 **A/U: So that is it for this story, hope you enjoyed. 47 and Peregrine will return in the next instalment, Hitman: Revelation. Hopefully you will be eager to see what happens to them next. Cicada isn't done yet!**

 **Thank you all for your reviews and comments, it's you guys I am writing this for. See you in the next story. :)**


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